


California Billy

by RizGriz



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Abused Billy Hargrove, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, BAMF Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Billy Hargrove Lives, Billy Hargrove Needs a Hug, Billy Hargrove Redemption, Domestic Violence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hurt Billy Hargrove, I know Harringrove seems really far away, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Racism, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Sexual Harassment, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Neil Hargrove Being an Asshole, Neil Hargrove's A+ Parenting, No Romance, POV Multiple, Post-Episode: s03e08 The Battle of Starcourt, Protective Siblings, Sibling Bonding, Sibling Love, You'll see!, but i'm building up to it, except alexei unless someone gives me an idea, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-10
Updated: 2020-04-28
Packaged: 2020-10-13 16:28:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 20,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20585528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RizGriz/pseuds/RizGriz
Summary: About To Have The First Four Chapters Rewritten!'Max vividly remembers how diligent Billy was in California. Careful about everything from the way he spoke to what to he ate, even the way he looked at people. And he was always careful with Max. But it always felt different. As if with her it was because he cared. He cared about what happened to both of them.Sure, Indiana Billy had gotten cold, harsh, and abrasive, but Max always imagined he didn’t want to be that way. Sometimes she’d see him when he thought no one was looking. His eyes would stay sharp, but his gaze would fall heavy. She liked to imagine that things could be like they used to, but time passed and the choppy waters between them seemed to barely calm at all.Max wished the whole party could see the side of him that had protected her, that had cared for her, that had been the world to her. If Neil was gone Billy could become himself again.'After the Battle of Starcourt Billy's broken body is rushed to the local hospital where he teters on the edge of death. What follows changes the whole party, and brings two rivals closer than one of them could have ever imagined.





	1. You're In My Fingerprints

**Author's Note:**

> okay, so this nagged my brain for a day or two and I decided to do something about it. this is less of a #BillyRedemption and more of a #ShitHappenedAndNowWe'reHereAndI'mSpiteful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay, so this nagged my brain for a day or two and I decided to do something about it. this is less of a #BillyRedemption and more of a #ShitHappenedAndNowWe'reHereAndI'mSpiteful.
> 
> Pinterest Board Inspired https://www.pinterest.com/rizgriz/california-billy-inspo/

*revised*

Billy lay prone in a hospital bed, doctors surrounding him, as Max sobbed in the hallway. She could distantly hear people talking the other room. The entire party, and even more people she didn’t know, lined the hall, a few nurses busy disinfecting scrapes, stitching, and checking for fractures. A few of them seemed awkward, but Mrs. Byers had rushed forwards and scooped her into her arms when Max was lead out of Billy’s room.

A silver plaque next to the door read Trauma 3 in block letters; a bloody handprint was smudged just below it on the sand colored wall. Max was pretty sure it was hers’, but there had been so many hands. It all felt hazy, like Billy was just gonna walk out of Trauma 3 and wrap her up in a hug and cuff her ‘round the head for even thinking he could be dead.

Or at least that’s what California Billy would have done. Indiana Billy would just keep on dying in stupid Trauma 3. Indiana Billy couldn’t forgiver her and Indiana Max couldn’t forgiver herself either.

A nurse with her hair in a surgical cap, a paper mask over her face, and a long apron smudged in blood came out of Trauma 3 with a shiny bowl full of used gauze. She left bloody shoe prints in her wake. Max wiped her cheeks before she saw her own hands. His blood coated her hands, filled every groove of her finger prints, smeared onto her cheeks, knotted in her hair, staining the strands a deeper red.

She shook desperately, fresh tears coming to her eyes.

‘He could die and I am sitting here with his blood on my hands.’

Max couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think, her body spiraled until her eyes rolled back as she passed out into Mrs. Byers’ arms.

~

Every day was sunnier than the last. The wind blew the stray hairs not caught in her hair tie. Max turned her head to the side and leaned further into Billy’s back, his open button down smelled like scouring soap and ocean salt. Max’s arms around his waist was the only thing keeping the shirt from billowing out like a cape as they glided through the streets on Billy’s rusty sea green bike. Just old enough to have a banana seat but still new enough to not be a rust bucket because of the ocean spray.

The pair made this ride every Saturday morning and Max loved it. It was a forty minute bike ride to Billy’s mom, Lily, and her tiny apartment with the baby pink front door. Neil hated that they were gone all day, not that he knew where they were going, but they were together and Max’s mom thought it was nice. That’s not to say Neil kept his opinion to himself if Billy’s red cheek was anything to go by.

Max squeezed him tighter as they went over a patch of broken up pavement. She could hear beats of different types of music as they cycled past rows of touristy shops. A tiny dog yapped at them as they passed. The sun shone. The breeze was cool.

~

She was laid on something hard, warmed only by her body. Her head, however, was resting on something soft. Someone brushed the hair from her face, making her press her eyes shut even harder.

When Max opened her eyes Eleven was above her, chocolate eyes boring deep into her.

“How are you feeling?” El asked. Mad sat up suddenly, taking a deep breath.

“How long was I out? Where’s Billy?” she could feel her voice shake as she asked. “Is he okay?”

Chief Hopper, sat next to El, raised his hand a little.

“He’s not too hot but he is stable, has been for the past two or so hours.” Hopper said.

“I want to see him.”

~

Max had only been six when her mom started dating Neil and they thought it’d be a great idea to make Billy and her buddies. Turns out it wasn’t too bad. He may have been a solid four years older than Max but they were still pretty chill with each other.

That had been going on two years ago and now they all lived together. It wasn’t that big of a deal to Max; it just meant that Billy and her shared a room. It also meant that there was nowhere else to go when Neil was in a bad mood.

Today Neil had been pretty sour when he got home, so Billy had quietly taken her hand and the beach bag as they slipped out the door. It was dusk and the sun hung low, dipping into the ocean water to sleep. Billy said that isn’t how it worked but it sure seemed like the sun went to bed in the ocean every night.

They had been building sandcastles and digging trenches to fill with sea water for almost two hours when Billy started packing the bag up again. They sat there a little longer. Max isn’t sure why though because Billy doesn’t say anything, just stares out over the water, this sad look in his eye.

Just when the last sliver of sun is above the waves he takes her hand again and the walk back to the apartment. He doesn’t say anything the whole way back.

~

Max was stuck in the doorway. Billy looked so pale and dead yet her heart screamed that he was just asleep, that he likes to sleep after Neil’s been mean. But then her mind reminds her heart that this isn’t because of Neil–it’s because of the mind flayer.

Hopper took her hand in his a lead her to his bedside. She reached out a hand to touch Billy’s. He was cool to the touch, his skin seemed waxy, indigo blue veins visible through his skin.

Any hope feels washed out, but then his pointer finger twitches. And that must be a good sign, right? That must mean that there’s some fighting chance, and Billy has always been a fighter, especially when Max needed him to be, and right now, she needed him to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know any sibling bonding moments you wanna see!!!
> 
> Also, Billy's mom will show up in the next chapter!!!


	2. The Night We Met

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max is trying her best to watch over Billy when she remember someone she needs to call, but how is she supposed to tell them?
> 
> ~
> 
> There was one night that changed everything, that drug them from the life they knew. It felt like the night they met.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to add, but in this Billy is 17 and still has his senior year to complete making him abt a year younger then the other main teens (steve, nancy, jonathan).
> 
> #NoBetaWeDieLikeMen

Billy’s hand was fisted into the back of her t-shirt, dragging her as far away from Neil’s anger. Mom had been home late and Neil was certain she had been cheating on him. His anger had boiled over and he started yelling at all of them. Billy had stood near her the whole time, keeping a light touch on the back of her arm.

Neil had rounded on Mom, backing her into the corner of the living room when Billy grabbed her and ran. They bust out the front door and Billy lead her down the flight of stairs.

Suddenly he let go of her shirt, grabbing her hand instead. His palm was slippery with sweat and Max was sure her’s were too. The pair ran across the hot, sunbleached pavement of the complex parking lot to the bike rack. Billy unlocked the bike lock and pulled it fro the rack as fast as he could. Max could see his hands tremouring.

Neil had always been vicious, but Max knew it had been worse when Lily and hi were still together. She also knew Billy never talked about his dad’s meaner moments.

Billy silently motioned for her to get on the bike before him. Just as the wheels started to move a door busted open behind them. Neil was screaming up a storm and cussing them out and Billy peddled as fast a he could.

The sound of an engine starting made Billy’s entire body tense, nearly losing balance. He shot them off into a side street and kept going as fast as possible. Max could tell they were going to Lily’s, but it would be a long ride and even worse if Neil was trying to tail them.

~

Max had been standing vigil over Billy for hours, never leaving, just quietly talking to Billy and wishing he would wake up.

“You’re gonna be just fine because you promised Lily she could come to your graduation next year.” Max sucked in a breath suddenly, eyes going wide. She needed to call Lily and tell her what happened.

Reluctantly standing from the plastic seat, Max slipped out of the room.Most of the Party had been taken home by confused parents but Will and his mom was still in the hall, sitting next to Hopper and El.

“I, um, I need some quarters,” Max said.

“What for honey?” Mrs. Byers asked. She looked sleepy, they all did.

“I need to call Billy’s mom, and she, um,” Max felt bad asking for as much change as she’d need. “She still lives in california, so it’s long distance.”

“I thought his mom was dead?” said Hopper, eyes still shut, head resting against the wall.

“No, she just left Neil. She was kinda the reason we left California.” Max said.

“Okay, we can break a few dollars down at the food court.” Joyce said getting up off the floor mindful of Will sleeping against her, leaning him against Hopper.

~

It was dark by the time they made it to Lily’s apartment, but they were finally safe. Billy locked the bike against the stairwell. His legs shook, they had taken the long way and still got there faster than normal.

Max gently slipped her hand into his and led him up the stairs. The whole complex was quiet as she knocked on Lily’s pink door. Time seemed to move slowly as the door swung open only for Neil to be standing on the other side.

Next to her Billy’s knees gave out under him, crumpling to the ground. His other hand came up to his mouth to stifle the choked sobs, tears already spilling out of his eyes.

Behind Neil, Max could see Lily do the same.

Neil crouched low, venom in his eyes.

“Go down stairs get in the car, it’s around the block. Don’t even think about trying to run away again.” Neil’s voice held the promise of pain.

~

Two dollars in quarters later Max stood dialing one of the only number she knew by heart. It rang, and rang, and rang until it got picked up, a soft voice coming through the speaker.

“Hello,”

“Lily, it’s Max. I have to–you need to–Billy’s,” Max couldn’t finish, her voice cracking with emotions, tears running down her face.

“Baby, what’s wrong? Did something happen?” Lily asked. Max could hear the tremor of fear in her voice.

“Billy got hurt, and you need to get a flight here because he’s not doing super well,” Max said slowly.

“What happened, baby?” Lily asked voice desperate.

“I–I cant–it’s,” she sobbed out. “He–”

There was a click and the line went dead. The recorded operator told her in a monotone voice that more coins needed to be put in.

~

The morning after found Max sitting in a hard plastic chair in a hallway with no windows and Billy laid up in a hospital bed. Neil had been vicious. Max had never seen him like that, but Billy had. The terror shone clear in his eyes the entire ride to where ever Neil had brought them.

Neil nearly beat his son to death in a parking lot a few miles from their apartment. Billy had known what was coming. Had known it was gonna end bad. Had known he was gonna draw the short straw.

Right now it seemed like Billy got the short straw in life.

Her hands still tremored, still crashing from adrenaline. Billy had known what was going to happen and just leaned over and told her to look away/

“_No matter what happens, you look away–cover your ears and look away._”

His voice had an urgent edge to it, blue eyes drowning in unshed tears. She had nodded, tears running down her own face. His hands shook, his face was pale, he couldn’t take a full breath.

She had been dumb and looked. Of course she looked. And Billy just laid there and took everything his father had to offer. Every awful word, every hit, Neil had even gone far enough to kick Billy twice. Max was sure it caught him in his kidneys.

Helping him the hospital it was like the first time Max had met this side of Billy. The side with no fight, bite, or armour. Just his raw person.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was inspired to name his mom Lily because of the fic "Love Lily" url below!
> 
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/19735714/chapters/46709968


	3. 64 Pack of Color and Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lily arrives after a long flight, but seeing her son like this hurts her deeply.  
~  
Max and Billy have a quiet rainy day at Lily's when Billy has a cold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually really like the california scene in this chapter and it feels like a really sibling thing to do (and before you start, yes, ya gurl's got an older brother)
> 
> #NoBetaWeDieLikeMen

Lily came running down the hall, all golden hair and wrinkled clothes. She had a bag slung over her shoulder that looked like it held everything she had packed. Max was scooped up in a hug when Lily reached her. Her face looked smudgy and tight as she smoothed Max’s hair.

“I’m so sorry it took so long to get here, baby.” Lily said, letting go of Max.

“It’s okay, it was only six hours. I’m just so glad you’re here.” Max gripped Lily’s hand tightly, giving her a tight grimace.

“Where’s Neil and your mother?”

“They’re not here yet,” Max said quietly.

“Okay,” was all Lily said, gripping Max’s hand back and going into Billy’s room.

~

Billy had made up some stupid story about how some guy beat him for mouthing off. It was all so stupid. Neil should be arrested but instead Billy sat filling out his own discharge forms instead of his father.

Billy had stayed in the hospital overnight but seemed to be in a hurry to get out.

“You could stay another night, make sure you really feel okay.” Max pressed.

“It’ll be easier if things go back to normal as soon as possible,” he sighed out. Max knew she didn’t see the whole picture between Billy and Neil, but Billy had handled this a little too well. “Everything will settle down and we can forget this even happened.”

“Forget this even happened? So we should just forget that your dad beat the shit out of you for seeing Momma?” Billy’s hand shot out and grabbed her wrist.

“Shitty things happen, Maxine. It wasn’t like I never expected this to happen, so if you could just keep it to yourself that’d be great.” there was something bitter in his voice like he hated himself for saying it.

“Okay,” she whispered as he went back to trying to write his name with his left hand. But it wasn’t okay.

~

Lily squeezed her hand so hard Max couldn’t feel her fingertips. Next to her, Lily’s breathing had gotten fast, eyes welling with tears. Billy had her eyes.

“How long since he got hurt?” she whispered out.

“About a day,” Max said. Lily nodded like that made everything make sense. Nothing made sense.

“Can I touch him?”

“Yeah,”

Lily practically tip toed up to Billy’s bed. Max watched as she took his hand gently in her own, rubbing his knuckles softly. It felt strange watching Lily kiss his forehead, as if she didn’t want to wake him. Once upon a time Billy and Lily were like this all the time; a casual kisses pressed to cheeks, gentle smiles, fingers run through curly hair. It seemed like it all vanished ages ago, replaced with anger and melancholy and denial.

Lily was breathing harshly, forehead pressed against Billy’s, shoulders shaking as she tried to hold back tears. Max felt a warm hand on her shoulder. It’s grip too hard to be Hopper. Max froze under the hold.

“What are you doing here, Lily?” Neil asked, anger thinly veiled.

~

The rain came down in sheets as it pounded against the windows. Max sat criss-cross at the scratched glass coffee table in Lily’s apartment, coloring in the black and white comics on the funny pages. Billy was mirrored next to her, going through their crayons.

Lily was awesome. She had gotten the huge 64 pack of crayons with so many colors that Billy and her had separated each type of color the first day they got it. Red and blue and yellow all had different sections in the box and the two of them spent hours arguing whether or not teal was green or blue and if they should put purple between red and blue or next to green.

The box even had a sharpener in the back! Not that either of the used it, no reason to waste good crayon.

Right after Lily gave it to them, Max told her class about how awesome it was. All those losers had to say was that they were too old to care about crayons and coloring pages, but Billy had made sure she knew otherwise. Sitting on her bed across from his after the lights were all out, she couldn’t help the tears gathered in the corners of her eyes.

“Y_ou make your own color in life, Maxie, they have to wait to be shown color by other people._” Billy had leaned forwards, looking her straight in the eye and fiercely dissuaded any ideas the class had put in her mind.

Billy and her had talked until a light thump was heard from the other bedroom. He’d gotten this look on his face of disgust as he whispered for her to go to sleep.

Lily was humming along with a Beatles song spinning on the turntable as she dumped celery and potato chunks into the soup she was making. Billy had been sporting a sore throat and runny nose for a few day and Max knew he felt awful. She hadn’t even pestered him about coming to Lily’s that morning. Infact, she even hadn’t expected them to go–being sick while making the long ride couldn’t have been high on his wish list–but here they were.

Seeing Lily fuss and coo over him when they came in made this warm feeling spread through her chest. Billy didn’t get this kind of affection at home, especially when he was sick. But Lily mothered him with all she had as if trying to fit a whole weeks worth into an afternoon.

Lily came and sat on the couch behind them after leaving the soup to cook. Billy rested his head against her knee as the rain petered out into sporadic, fat drops. Lily ran her fingers through his curls, talking quietly with Max about school. She felt like such a mom for her too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope you're ready for the next chapter! if you have any ideas for bonding moments pre/post flayer just let me know, i'm open for suggestions!! 
> 
> Also, I'm thing about doing some little father-daughter fics abt hopper and el so if anyone has ideas or fic recommendations i'd love to hear them!!


	4. Consideration of Blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neil has arrived at the hospital seemingly just to fight with Lily.  
~  
The night before they left California hurt more that either of them are willing to say in the light of day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter feels more emotional than the others and I really like that! I'm really glad you guys are liking this!
> 
> Also, i'm a sucker for the tiny details when I reading a fic like this so... yeah! And, KIA means Killed In Action not the car brand!

Max’s muscles were rigid.Her bones felt on the verge of snapping with how tight she was holding herself. Neil's presence was heavy behind her, hand gripping her shoulders in a vise like hold.

“I’m here for my baby, Neil. I don’t need your permission.” lily’s voice was filled with emotion but her eyes hardened with resolve.

“He’s hurt, you shouldn’t be confusing him.” Neil said iceily.

“Don’t pretend you care because we both know you don’t.” Lily spit at him. “You probably wish we were at a morgue right now!”

“That isn’t a very considerate thing to say,” Neil said, throwing Lily’s mantra back at her. Max couldn’t help thinking in the back of her mind that Neil hadn’t denied it.

~

“Mr. Iver can kiss my ass with his ‘prepositional phrases’ bullshit,” Billy said, laying upside down on Lily’s couch , legs thrown over the back.

“That isn’t a very considerate thing to say, Billy, he just wants you to do your best. It shows that he cares about his students.” lily said folding towels on the coffee table.

Billy huffed dramatically but swung his feet off the back of the couch and grabbed a towel to fold. Max snickered to herself as she scratched out her math homework.

“Go ahead, laugh it up twerp, but you’re gonna have Mr. Iver in a few years.” he said with no menace. It was nice to see this happier, softer side of Billy whenever they were away from Neil. At home, Billy liked to close himself off and had a cold edge to nearly everything he did.

~

Hot tears started to roll down her face at the memory. She never did have Mr. Iver for high school english because they moved before she got out of middle school.

“-I will see my son. He is hurt and you will not stop me from being here for him.” lily said fiercely drawing Max out of her mind.

“You are a failure of a mother, Lilian.” Neil said coldly. Max couldn’t make her body take a full breath, her tears seemingly choking her.

“I will not fight you on this, Neil. You cannot make me leave, and I will be here when he wakes up.” lily said turning away from Neil to gently brush a stray curl off Billy’s forehead.

Max pulled away from Neil’s grip. Rushing out the door she ran directly into Hopper. He had been standing outside Billy’s room, probably hearing Neil and Lily fight. Hoppers arms closed around Max’s shoulders and he pulled her closer, gently rubbing her back. It reminded Max so much of when Billy held her that last night in california. Everything had changed since then. Max couldn’t help but cry harder into Hopper’s hold.

~

Their room was empty, nothing but two pillow, two quilts, and two shaking teens. Neil hadn’t yelled the whole day while packing, but every time he even looked at either of them his eyes bare into them.

It would be their last night in California. Billy had been distant since the night Neil found them at Lily’s, but he had taken one look at her tense shoulders and scooped her into his arm. His hold was strong and tight, making promises he couldn’t keep. Promises of safety, and hope, and the idea of being okay. When the sun rose in the morning all of those promises would vanish under Neil’s gaze.

Yet Max clinged onto his arm as he gently rocked them, sobs silently racking her body as she felt him do the same. Billy quieted his cries by pressing his face into her tangled hair.

Billy wrapped them in the quilts and held her until their tears ran out. He laid them down, Max tightly wrapped in blanket, and held her hand long after she fell asleep.

~

“Hopper, you have to keep Neil away from Billy.” Max said quietly from the passenger seat of the cop car. Apparently Hopper’s car was KIA, so he took a deputy cruiser. It smelled weird, like old orange juice and rubber. The few times Hopper had given the Party a ride his truck had always smelled like mint and dirt and tobacco. It was funny the thoughts her mind were spinning with as though Billy wasn’t half dead from being possessed by some syfy shit.

Hopper was silent next to her.

“He hurt’s Billy and he’s gonna make everything worse when Billy wakes up,” Max said, eyes boring into the side of Hopper’s head. He glanced at her quickly.

“Can you prove it without Billy’s testimony?” he asked quietly. “Can I arrest him without it looking like a witch hunt?”

Max was silent next to him.

“Billy won’t have Hawkin’s sympathy, not with his reputation–no matter how clouded that may be,” he interjected before Max could argue.“Neil is seen as an average working man with a wild son. As much as I wish I didn’t, I need more that word of mouth, Max.”

Max nodded her head as they pulled up the Byers’ driveway. There was a concerning number of cars sat outside the house. She could see people moving around inside the house.

Hopper lead her into the house with a hand on her shoulder that felt nothing like Neil’s. Everyone got quiet as Hopper and her came inside. Everyone’s parents were there, even some she didn’t recognise. And her Mom.

Will stood quickly.

“Is he gonna be okay?” Max could feel how much Will cared in his voice.

“I don’t know,” Max whispered. Will rushed over to her and wrapped her in a tight hug. She closed her arms around him just as tightly.

“Do you want to take a shower?” Mrs. Byers asked her softly, her hand gently petting her hair as Max nodded. “Okay, baby,”

Max realised as she pulled away from Will that she must be a terrifying sight from the blood streaked on her. Mrs. Byers had wiped away as much as she could while they were waiting at the hospital, but Max could feel it crusted under her nails, stuck in the tiny valleys of her hand, and staining the front of her hair crimson from where she had pushed it out of her face.

She numbly let Mrs. Byers lead her to the bathroom and get her a towel as the bath filled with warm water and bubbles. Mrs. Byers unravelled the braids from her hair and softly touched the bruise on her cheekbone.

“Could you stay?” Max asked shyly.

“Are you sure you don’t want you Mom?” Mrs. Byers asked. Max just nodded her head. Mrs. Byers busied herself getting a washcloth and rubbing alcohol from the bathroom cupboard as Max undressed and got in the soapy water.

Max sat numbly as Mrs. Byers washed all the blood and dirt from her body and tended to the scrape on her face. She got a cup from the sink and tenderly shampooed Max’s long hair.

Max could hear bit of conversation from the living room. Snippets of confused parents clashing with exhausted teens.

Mrs. Byers drained the dirty water and wrapped Max’s hair in a towel, leaving her to dry herself as she went get clothes for her.

Max dressed and went to the living room to join the Party on the floor, where a hush fell over the parents. She could feel her Mom’s gaze on her back as she sat between El and Lucas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope you liked it and I am open to any suggestion for sibling bonding moments for both pre and post mindflayer. also, yes, I want Will and Billy to have an understanding between each other because of their shared experiences.


	5. Dirty Laundry on the Porch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When morning comes Susan tries to be there for Max, but that's not about to happen.  
~  
Max can vividly remember what life was like before Neil, but even after it seemed like everything was crashing down she had Billy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> #NoBetaWeDieLikeMen
> 
> I know it's taken me a tiny bit to update, but I wasn't sure where I wanted to go with chapter, however, that being said I pretty happy with how it turned out! the flash backs are a litter different and more disjointed but I wanted to get a specific emotion across.

The Party stayed near each other as they slowly fell asleep on the Byers’ living room floor. The parents had moved into the kitchen where they bickered and interrogated Mrs. Byers and Hopper about everything that had happened. Max could feel her mother gazing steadily at her vantage point in the kitchen. She’s sure her Mother has a sense of jealousy that Max had chosen Mrs. Byers over her, but Max couldn’t find it in herself to care. She was tired, with her friends, had hope that Billy was going to live, and had seen Lily for the first time in well over a year.

Lily had known not to ask any questions about how Billy had been hurt. Max was never so grateful she had memorized Lily’s mailing address because after everything that had happened the year before, Max got a letter to Lily explaining as best she could. At the time it was less about Billy and more about the upside down, but over time more and more of their conversation became about how Billy’s entire demeanor had changed and what type of person he was becoming.

At one point Lily had nearly come to Hawkins to see Billy when Max had realized that he had been egging on Neil. For a few weeks Billy would seemingly go out of his way to go against Neil’s direct orders and rules, earning him too many blooming bruises and more than a few marks left by Neil’s belt.

When Max sent the letter telling Lily that, she demanded Max call her in the return letter in which she had also sent five dollars in quarters for a payphone. Lily had been frantic on the phone and had asked questions Max didn’t even understand.

Questions like, are there any lakes in Hawkins, where does he hang out, are the any shady people around. They all confused Max to no end but she had answered them all. Some of her answers soothed Lily, some worried her.

But Lily wasn’t at the byers’, she was at the hospital with Billy while Susan Mayfield watched her daughter pull away into the arms of a family she created.

~

Once upon a time, Max and her mother had been beyond dedicated to each other. Just them against the world. Until Neil showed up like some stupid fucking half price prince charming in khakis.

That asshole swept Susan Mayfield off her feet with this confidant demeanor and stable appearances. For Max the whole ordeal was nothing but sour, from her Mom upending their lives to shack up with some looser to moving the four of them into a two bedroom apartment that had mold in the grout because Neil had made big promises.

The only reprieve had been that Neil’s son had been pretty awesome. He’d also know the ins and outs of how Neil worked. It had been something of an agreement that they had each other’s backs. It became Max and Billy against the world. And now they were dedicated to each other, and Billy was her full price prince charming brother.

Until they weren’t.

~

Max watched the sunrise as morning dawned, her eyes glassy with exhaustion. Mom came out onto the porch to sit with her. She tried putting an arm around Max, but Max just stood and began pacing.

“Max, just talk to me, whatever you need to say.” Mom said gently, eyes large and imploring.

“That’s a dangerous thing to say, Mom.” Max bit back, making no attempt to be quiet for the sake of the people still sleeping inside the house.

“I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t want to hear what you had to say, baby.” Mom said with confusion laced in her voice.

“Yeah, you would, Mom, ‘cause that’s what you do-” Max screamed suddenly, heart seemingly overflowing with an emotion she couldn’t place. “You ask questions you don’t want the answer to because you don't want to know! Because you are trying to have a mother-daughter moment while the woman I wish was my Mom is at the hospital with my brother while they try and save him!”

“Max, what are you talking about?” Mom’s face had contorted into shock.

“I’m talking about the fact that you pretend our little family is fucking perfect and you ignore everything Neil does and you threw away everything we have at the first chance of someone with a dick paying attention to you!” their ruckus had drawn everyone to the door, eyes large as Max kicked the dirt at her feet and spat words at her mother. “Neil fucks you and tells you your pretty, so you just happen to forget that he beats Billy and you just happen to let go of the fact that he drug us across the country to get away from Lily. And you let him! He is mean and ugly, and vicious and you let him! He has never done anything for you and just let him!”

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she screamed at her mother. Max had no sympathy.

“—And you wanna pretend that everything is okay, but it’s never been normal you bitch! It has always been awful and you let it! And now Billy is in the hospital taking his sweet ass time deciding if he’s gonna live or not and you’re here pretending this is all normal, and I hate you for it! How fucking bad does it have to get, Mom! How bad?” Max screamed as she collapsed in defeat. “It was never gonna change, but screw you, cause it’s all gonna change now and you can’t stop it! Lily is here and Billy is gonna live and Neil is gonna rot in prison and I won’t give a damn about where you are!”

“Max, please calm down. You're just gonna work yourself into a state.” Susan pleaded. Everyone had spilling further onto the front porch watching Max and her Mom’s interaction. Lucas’ gaze was focused on her so intensely Max thought he was gonna start crying with her. El and mike gripped each other’s hands so tightly their fingertips turned white.

Max’s breath stuttered as she realized that she’d just aired her family’s dirty laundry in front of nearly two dozen people, Chief Hopper included. However, Max realized, it wasn’t her dirty laundry and she couldn’t quite give a damn.

The tears stopped suddenly and Max evened out her breathing as she wiper the wet trails from her face.

“I’d like someone to take me to the hospital to see Billy,” Max said evenly, as she slipped between confused parents to go back in the house.

Billy would be pissed she screamed out all their secrets, but he was just gonna have to survive and do something about it himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was all that cursing *really* needed? no. but i really feel like it added to Max's state of mind. personally, when I get really mad and get to a 'i'll do it myself' mindset i tend to get a loose tongue with my french words. it just felt right to have max get her moment in front of all these people, some who she is close to some she is not, and just be so beyond down with everything that she calls bullshit on all this stuff. and she's not wrong. and she's gonna be a mad little powerhouse and I've also gotten to a place where I'm like "fuck it, i'll do it myself and it's gonna get done the way I want it and if anyone has a problem with that they can fucking deal with it" and i'm really channeling that feeling into max's character. 
> 
> sorry if that didn't make sense!


	6. I Pinky Promise To Protect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mom decides that Max should come home for the night rather than staying at the Byers. Everything just feels like it's being sucked down a drain.  
~  
Sometimes you wish for short hair and end up with two heads of long hair instead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sup B!tches! I'm super excited at the response to this fic and I'm so thankful to everyone who has commented! I promise all your questions will be answered with time ;) [i might be a tiny bit evil but whatevs]
> 
> TW: homophobic language (not much, but it might bother some of you guys) in the second flash back so you can skip if you want! and let me know, should do tiny summaries of an triggering bits?

Max didn’t talk to anyone outside the Party and Hopper or Mrs. Byers for three days. It had been almost a week since starcourt and the doctors promised Billy was making slow but steady progress. They had hope he would wake up for short bursts within the week, but Max wasn’t sure if she was ready for him to wake up and face the fallout.

Max spent all her time at Billy’s bedside combing through every memory of Neil and Billy to try and find anything worth more than the words of an angry fourteen year old. She needed more before Hopper could reasonably arrest Neil for anything, but it needed to happen fast. The moment Billy was awake in the slightest Neil would be there, watching every movement, cracking down on the first signs of ‘weakness’ as if Billy had no reason to be unstable.

~

Max vividly remembers how diligent Billy was in California. Careful about everything from the way he spoke to what to he ate–even the way he looked at people. And he was always careful with max. But it always felt different. As if it was attention to detail through fear and with her it was because he cared about what happened to both of them.

Sure, Indiana Billy had gotten cold, harsh, and abrasive, but Max always imagined he didn’t want to be that way. Sometimes she’d see him when he thought no one was looking. His eyes would stay sharp, but his gaze would fall heavy. She liked to imagine that things could be like they were but time passed and the choppy waters between them seemed to barely calm at all.

Max wished the whole party could see the side of him that had protected her so well, that had cared for her, that had been the world to her. If Neil was gone Billy could have everything he was before.

~

Mom came to pick her up earlier than normal. She bit her lip as Max climbed into the passenger seat of Neil’s old ford.

“I think you should come home tonight.” mom said softly as she pulled out of the parking lot. “Just to sleep in your own bed and get some clean clothes.”

It was true, Max had been wearing Will’s clothes for the last few days. Even after Mrs. Byers had washed her shorts and tank top Max couldn’t find it in herself to wear them. Mrs. Byers had been so nice about it all, Max hadn’t even needed to do anything but look at the clothes a little too long and Mrs. Byers just took and put them the master bedroom.

“Okay,” Max said just as quietly as her mom. Mom seemed stunned for a moment before nodding.

~

Max and Mom had moved in with Neil less than two weeks ago and the man was already acting like her father. Max already had a father and it certainly wasn’t Neil, but Billy had shot her a look that told her she had better shut it.

All Max wanted was to cut her hair. Not all of it, just to make it easier and more practical. It was already pretty long but Max wanted something closer to her shoulders.

Mom thought it was okay, would even cut it for her. But Neil? Neil just told her she didn’t need to look like a dyke. Max had turned it right around by saying that she couldn’t look like something she wasn’t.

However, Neil was having none of it. Max had been sent to Billy and her room with a strict command not to come out unless she needed to use the bathroom until breakfast.

Billy had given her another piercing look that told her not to argue. So Max sat on their lone dresser to stare out the tiny window until night fell and Billy crept in.

“Hey, I’m not supposed to talk to you, but live and let live or whatever,” Billy whispered as he sat next to her. His left cheek was pink like he’d been slapped. Probably had. “I know you had your heart set on cutting your hair, but I think you need to let this one go.”

“But why does he care so much? It’s not like I’m his kid,” Max hissed back softly. The streetlight made Billy’s cheek even more obvious. This felt like it was about more than just her hair.

“Yeah, but people think he’s kinda responsible for you now or whatever, and he hates anything that isn’t a perfect little cookie cutter.” Billy took a piece of her fiery hair between his fingers. “and I’m already pushing the strange meter for him. There’s not a lot of wiggle room right now.” Billy said distantly.

“But you're totally normal? You blend in with everyone else at school, you don’t start any fight, you even dated that girl claire before I met you. You're normal,” Max whispered, confused by how odd Billy was being.

“It’s different with me. Nothing I do is good enough for Neil, I already know that. But you just gotta keep status quo and lay low for now.” Billy said sounding regretful.

Max just rolled her eyes softly and slid off the dresser, silently falling into her bed. Billy quietly followed her, sitting on the edge of her mattress.

“I know you and how you can go total balls to the walls when you want to, but that isn’t a good idea, not right now.” Billy whispered. Max just quietly grunted in response, not bothering to look at him. “So how about I make a deal with you. If you don’t cut your hair, I don’t cut my hair.”

Max rolled onto her back to look at him. It was a preposterous idea.

“You're not serious.” she said.

“I am.” Billy looked like he’d rather not be having this conversation. “We will both have long, wild, annoy hair that gets in our mouth when we’re at the beach, and sticks to our necks when we ride to Momma’s, ‘k?”

Max couldn’t help the tiny part of her that bubbled up with happiness that he’d be willing to do that for her.

“’k.” she said. Billy stuck his pinky out at her and she grabbed it with her own. They never broke a pinky promise.

~

The water ran over her hair as she stood under the spray. The water at the house was never really hot, always just shy of warm. Max watched the water run down the drain as her mind turned over and over inside her head. Neil would bitch that she was taking too long and wasting water but she didn’t give a damn. After all, she was trying to figure out a way to get him arrested.

But nothing came to her. Billy had always refused to leave any evidence that Neil could find, and word of mouth meant nothing. Not when no one would believe Billy and Neil had a good reputation. This whole town believed he was a hard working man with an unsavory, rebellious son. Neil worked very hard to make sure that was what everyone thought. He was a grade A manipulator.

Max was lost in thought as her mom put a mug of hot chocolate on the table in front of her. Mom slipped into the seat next to her as Neil pulled the chair across from her out and sat heavily. That’s where Billy sits.

“Maxine, a lot has happened in the last few days and your mother would appreciate it if you were home more. There’s no need for you to sit up at the hospital all day.” Neil said firmly. It all felt like a show for mom’s sake.

“I’m gonna be there for Billy when he wakes up,” Max said softly. Her mind and body felt separated, like a balloon floating over her shoulder rather than in her skull.“I don’t want him to be alone.”

“That’s not your responsibility. He prefers being alone anyways.” Neil said dismissively as if that settled anything.

“No, he likes when I’m with him, we take care of each other.” she said, eyes glued to the steam rolling off her mug.

“What did you just say to me?” Neil asked with with a unpleasant smile. Mom reached over and grasped her hand tightly.

“I said he likes being with me,” she said. It felt like she had walked into a trap. Is this was Billy meant by nothing was good enough?

“Before that, I think you told me _‘no’_” Neil said, rising from Billy’s chair. “I don’t take kindly to being corrected by children, Maxine.”

Max stayed quiet as Neil stared her down fiercely, Mom gripping her hand impossibly harder. It seemed to go on for an eternity, but for all the emotions and thoughts running through her mind, not a single tear welled in her eyes.

“Go to bed, Maxine.” Neil said shortly, staking off to the kitchen, no doubt to grab a beer.

“Go on,” Mom whispered, finally letting go of her hand, rubbing it gently as Max stood.

Her resolution grew as she padded to her room. Neil wasn’t going to go near Billy if Max had anything to say in the matter. Tomorrow she was gonna pinky promise it to Billy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> again, i am open to sibling bonding moments if you guys have any ideas!
> 
> Also, I'm not sure if i'm gonna make Billy gay/pan/bi or what have you (i'm open to suggestions), however, i haven't decided so if anyone wants to have a say, leave a comment! at the moment i'm leaving it ambiguous. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!!


	7. I Need You Momma

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max knows her next steps, she just needs backup.  
~  
For as much as Max loves her Mom, there's something different about a Momma you choose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sup! I've had most of this chapter written for like a week but i've been lazy so.... anyways, things are starting to pick up speed and the next chapter or two will start answering questions and giving you new ones to worry about!
> 
> Also, I'm thinking of making this a collection where a post extra scenes from california??? what do you think?? anyways,  
Discussion Of Abuse And Violence In This Chapter.
> 
> #NoBetaWeDieLikeMen

“I’m gonna need you guys to back me up on this, but you can’t ask too many questions right now.” Max said as the party, new members included, settled down into a rough circle in the byers’ living room.

“What level of illegal are we talking here?” Dustin asked, grabbing an empty notepad off the coffee table.

“I’m not really sure, not too much, but there will probably be child endangerment.” Max said softly. Robin shot her a look as steve seemingly melted into laying on the floor. “We need to gather evidence that Neil’s abusive.”

“Abusive! As in hit’s people?” Lucas grabbed her hand. “Does he hit you, Max?”

“No! No, he doesn’t hurt me. But he does hurt Billy.” the circle stayed quiet until Will spoke.

“He can’t be around when Billy gets out of the hospital.” he said somberly.

“His dad wouldn’t hurt him when he’s sick, that crazy!” Lucas said gripping her hand tighter.

“My dad once shoved Mom against the fridge when she had the flu. Didn’t even have a reason, was just mad at someone from work or something.” Will said, eyes focused on his lap.

“I thought your dad just yelled?” Dustin asked softly. Will glanced up quickly.

“Mostly, but sometimes it was just wrong place wrong time, y’know?”

The whole circle had gotten quiet, eyes darting between Will and Max.

“How did your mom get him to leave?” Max asked Will.

“Umn,” Will picked at his finger, shifting a little. “There may have been a gun, and my Mom may have threatening to shoot his dick off.” he admitted quietly.

“Okay, so I have a plan B,” Max said breathing deeply. “But right now, B want to get evidence against him. I need to go through Billy’s room and the Camaro, but I don’t want to do it alone–can’t do it alone.”

“Okay, so Steve and I will pick you up from the hospital when your Mom and Neil are at work, go through Billy’s room, take anything that could help. Then we go to the impound lot and see what we can find.” Robin stated like it was the simplest thing ever. Like Billy’s life didn’t hang in the balance.

Max just nodded and stood from the circle. Lucas kept a soft hold on her hand, rising with her.

“Sorry, I need to talk to Lily,” she said softly.

Mrs. Byers came from the kitchen where she must have been listening with her keys already in hand.

~

Max could never really say when it happened, but one day she just called Lily ‘Momma.’

Billy had always called her Momma, no matter what. Max always thought it nice to hear, just like Lily calling Billy ‘Lovebug’ or ‘Sunshine’ or any number of other things. Lily was also fond of calling Max pet names, she preened under the attention just like Billy.

And today Max had called her Momma.

“Can Billy and I go to the beach, Momma?” Max asked as she cleaned the newspaper and crayons off the coffee table. Lily didn’t answer for a moment and when Max glanced up she was brimming with joy.

“Yeah, sweetheart, just remember sunblock.” Max didn’t even notice what she’d done until that night, sitting up with gasp, Billy laughing softly next to her like he’d been waiting for her to realize.

~

Lily sat next to Billy softly reading Brother’s Grimm Fairy Tales as the heart monitor steadily beeped. Max knocked softly on the doorframe.

Lily turned and gave her a tiny smile.

“Hey, baby. You okay?” she asked.

“I’m gonna try to get Neil arrested.” Max whispered. “Some friends and I are gonna go through Billy’s room and the car. I just–is there anywhere he would hide something that might help? We haven’t been that close since the move, but never really seemed to keep any proof, and you’ve still talked to him a little and I just–”

“Its okay, baby. I understand,” Lily said, standing to tuck a strand of hair behind Max’s ear. “I think he might have hid something at the quarry. I don’t know what it might be but it must have been important cause he took extra care.”

“He never told you what was inside?” Max asked, glances at billy seemingly sleeping form.

“If he’d been honest with me I wouldn’t have asked you all those questions, baby.” Lily pulled back slightly to look Max in the eyes. “I can come with you, if you want.”

“I don’t want Billy to be alone, Momma,” Max whispered. Lily just nodded and pulled Max close as she started crying softly. Max gripped her tighter than ever.

“I’m gonna come to the quarry with you, okay, i’ll have someone sit with him. I don’t know what he kept there and I-” Lily cut herself off. “I’m gonna help you get Neil caught, okay.”

Lily settled down again, bringing Max down to sit next to her as she reopened The Brothers Grimm to read to Billy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo?????....... let me know what you think! Thank you for reading and subscribe to the story to know when new chapters post!


	8. The Quarry pt.1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lily and Max go on a search for evidence anywhere Billy could have hidden it.  
~  
Labor was never kind, but Lily was seemingly alone as her baby came into the world. Neil showed up just in time to try and sneak something by her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is from Lily's POV!!!
> 
> Also: This Chapter Has References To Suicidal Tendencies.
> 
> Please Take Care Loves!

Hawkins Indiana was nothing like she thought it would be. Sure, Billy had described it as drab and boring, but walking down main street Lily got the feeling as if there were ghosts in this town. It may have just been her mind playing tricks on her given that she knows about the lab, but the entire place was erie, and for as sticky and warm it was she felt a chill on her arm. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up whenever she thought about to fact that her babies had been living her for over a year, surrounded by dark shadows.

Billy hadn’t told her much to go off of when it came to finding the quarry but Lily knew she had to go there. Back in California, her apartment was a getaway–a hiding place. But here? He had fled to where nature would hide him from his demons. The road map Joyce had spread out on the table already had pen marks on it but Joyce was busy circling more places Lily should look. The quarry had been marked first followed by an abandoned steelworks building as well as sever other places where there was clearings in the woods that the locals were fond of.

Lily had asked on of the on call nurses to stay with Billy while Max and her went to look for anything they could use against Neil. Joyce’s face had gone serious when Lily asked where the quarry was. She pulled the map out of a junk drawer and started circling anything important. Joyce even pressed her car keys into Lily’s hand just before they left with a deep look. The chief had driven her to the byers house but Lily felt bad asking him to drive them around hawkins on a wild goose chase, and Joyce seemed to know that just by looking at her.

‘Thank you,’ Lily mouthed to Joyce as Max pulled her hand, urging them to go.

Joyce just nodded and pressed a quick kiss again Max’s hair.

~

Lily thought she knew pain. After all, she’d grown up close to her cousin’s with constance rough housing and had even had a few nasty bruises and a long gash from surfing when the surf was too rough. But she had never had pain like this. Fifteen hours of labor and she was still two centimeters away from dilated enough. The first seven hours hadn’t been so bad, just strong cramping type feeling. But as hour ten passed it only got stronger.

She was a fit person but her baby ‘bump’ had gotten huge. Everyone told her she’d have a big, healthy baby, but right now baby seemed too healthy for it’s own good. Baby kicked between contractions and made its displeasure known.

It almost seemed fitting that such a rough pregnancy would end with an awful labor but at this point Lily just wanted someone to do something. Apparently Neil had been in the waiting room for the first few hours but soon left.

Lily had never pictured having a child with Neil, it had just happened and now she looked like and overfilled balloon trying to breath through the waves of pain.

~

“I’ve never actually been here,” Max said as they looked out at the water far below. “I heard they found a dead kid here when they were looking for Will.”

Lily had to steady herself at the thought of someone finding her baby waterlogged and drowned.

Lily slowly walked closer to the edge. Peering down, Lily knew for sure the fall alone could kill a person. Behind her, Lily could her Max looking through the underbrush. Billy had and arm surplus box that locked and was still fairly watertight. He had used it hold anything important like his social security card, pictures, and little mementos that meant something to him like a matchbox car from his grandmother and Lily’s own class ring.

Billy had always had a gentle heart, but time and distance had changed him in ways that scared Lily. She had never told Neil, but just after the divorce Billy had taken leftover pain pills and was found on the beach half dead. It had been a long process to make sure his father didn’t find out. But with time, she found a way for them to still see each other while Neil kept an iron grip.

The idea of Neil dragging Billy so far away, let alone to a town with a natural danger like this, had scared her more than anything in her life. That was, until Max called. Her mind had instantly gone to the darkest place, imagining her beautiful baby dead and cold and alone so far away. What if her letters and phone calls hadn’t been enough? What if he decided he couldn’t wait it out until his 18th birthday? What if it just seemed like a tragic accident and no one ever understood how deeply Billy was hurt by everything Neil had done?

A shine caught the corner of her eye. The raw metal edge of a dirt green box tucked up under a tiny outcropping of rock. Billy’s army surplus box.

Max was still kicking around between the trees, turned away from the cliff edge. Lily quickly trotted over and dropped gently down onto the outcropping, crouching to her knees. She reached around the outcropping, hand searching for any purchase on the box. Her nail hooked under a bent piece of the lid, dragging it far enough to grab it and pull in up into her lap.

Her hands shook as she pulled herself back onto solid ground.

“Max, baby,” Max turned on the spot at the sound of Lily’s voice. “I found it.”

~

Lily held her little boy for the first time and it felt like her heart was erupting. He was perfect in every way and she prayed he would stay like this forever. Untouched by the cruelness of the world. His eyes were so clear, and his fingers and toes were so small, and all he wanted was her. All he needed was her. All she wanted was him.

Neil stalked into the room as Lily gently wiped a finger down her baby’s tiny nose. He took a seat near the bed.

“The nurse said it’s a boy,” Neil said quietly. Lily nodded her head, not bothering to look away from her baby.

“You're so perfect,” she whispered reverently to the tiny person in her arms. Neil sat there awkwardly for a bit before softly clearing his throat.

“I’ve got the birth certificate, I already signed.” he passed the paper to Lily’s outstretched hand. He mumbled something about being _right back_ and walked out the door swiftly.

Sure enough Neil had signed, but what made her breath catch in her chest was the name for her baby boy. Neil had already filled in the first and last name lines. _William Hargrove_.

Lily felt herself flush in anger. He thought he’d pull a fast one on her. Lily sat further up, stomach cramping in protest, laying her baby down between her legs, softly shushing him as he started to fuss. Lily leaned to the side, snatching her purse as tenderly as possible as not to disturb baby.

She shoved her hand inside searching for her lighter. Flicking it open, she brought the certificate to the open flame. The paper twisted and curled from the fire, slowly destroying the whole thing. Lily dropped what was left as it smoldered out into a plastic dish that had been left by her bed.

Baby started fussing and making tiny squeaking noises between her legs because of the smoke. A nurse came to check in just as Lily gathered him into her arms. The nurse's eyes widened at the smoke still curling off the remains of paper.

“I’m going to need a new birth certificate, please.” Lily said conversationally. The nurse, who had seemingly been shocked silent, nodded and hurried from the room, returning a few minutes later with a new form and pen.

Lily said a quiet _thank you_ as she started penning her baby’s name onto the paper.

_Carter William Hargrove_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope you guys liked it! 
> 
> Also, this is what his army surplus box looks like: https://thumbs.worthpoint.com/zoom/images1/1/1211/24/vtg-s-military-army-surplus-ice-box_1_48acefe8483787806369bc53ca361883.jpg


	9. Chapter 9

Hey! It's Riz and I just wanted all of you fantastic readers know that I will be back in another week or two with a new chapter! My normal writing routine was disrupted with my theater group going thru tech week and then finals followed by winter break! So as soon as my college semester begins again I will have chapter regularly again! Thank you to everyone who has given a kudo or left a comment or even just read this! It was an idea I couldn't let go of and although I dont plan for this to be the longest story we still have a good amount to go! And I may be working on some other Billy centric fics that are both angsty and soft! Happy New Yeet🎉🎉 see y'all soon!!

📄 RizGriz


	10. His Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Party is trying to help Max in any way but still don't know much.  
~  
Lily was barely showing when Neil and her decided to tell Neil's father, William Hargrove.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The flash back portion of this chapter does contain abusive language and mentions of abortion (though i wont be tagging it), so if you are uncomfortable with that you can stop reading at the tilde (~) symbol.
> 
> Also, a big thank you to everyone who has subscribed and has been patiently waiting for this chapter!
> 
> I now have a pinterest board dedicated to this fic (it has its own warnings in the board description) at https://www.pinterest.com/rizgriz/california-billy-inspo/

“We should break into their house,” Dustin said, suddenly look up from the newspaper the party was gathered around. The front page of the paper was filled by a picture of Starcourt surrounded by firefighter and army men trying to contain the ‘fire’. The image was surrounded by a half assed article talking about the budding investigation.

“What? Who’s house?” Mike asked, eyebrows pulling together.

“Max’s house,” Dustin said lamely only to be met with blank stares. “To look for dirt on Max’s step dad or whatever.”

“Yeah, but Max and Billy’s mom already went looking for stuff, she said that Billy wouldn’t keep anything at home.” Lucas said to Dustin the ‘duh’ written across his face.

“Yeah, but we can still look for stuff, get a lay of the land-”

“A lay of the land? Dustin this isn’t a game!” Lucas shot back.

“That doesn’t mean strategy doesn’t exist!”

“I think we should,” El quietly intervened. “Max and I looked around when the Flayer had Billy, but we were looking for Flayer stuff.”

“We don’t need to stir up any trouble for ax, especially now that we know how her step-dad can be!” Lucas cried, throwing his hands up. “We need to help Max keep a low profile.”

“We might find something important to Billy,” El said quietly, picking at the edge of the paper.

“What?” Will asked softly over the sound of Dustin and Lucas bickering and batting at each other. “What do you mean?”

“We might find something important to Billy that he’ll want,” El repeated more firmly. “And make sure his dad can’t do anything to it.”

“Like what?” Mike asked, raising his voice to get Lucas and Dustin’s attention.

El bit her lip softly looking around the group.

“I don’t know if there’s anything important at the house, but I think you guys need to see his room,” she said slowly, dropping her gaze back to her lap. “I saw his mind and I can’t explain it so I think you need to see his home.”

The whole group got quiet, looking around at each other.

“It’s settled then?” Mike said uncertainty.

~

“We’re gonna have a baby, Dad.” Neil said, a smile on his lips, hands intertwined with Lily’s. The two of them had decided that they would drive up the coast to visit Neil’s father. Lily didn’t know much about the man save for the fact that Neil had inherited a bit of the man’s mean streak.

Neil mother had passed before Lily could meet her but Neil swore she would have loved Lily. His father, however, seemed less than thrilled just to meet her, let alone be told they were pregnant.

“What?” the older man said, face twisted in a sour grimace, brows bunched together. “Did every damned thing to told you come right out you’re fuckin’ ears? But no, don’t listen to your father, you had to go knock up some loose woman.”

Neil leaned forwards, rising from the couch a tiny bit.

“It’s not like that-”

“You know damned well it is!” the old man snarled. “Kids don’t do nothin’ but fuckin’ drain you of everything you work for. Hell, they don’t even grow up to like you,” he settled back into his creaky leather recliner, seemingly content to ignore his son.

Lily felt a pang of sadness in her chest at the thought of Neil growing up with this man. The late Mrs. Hargrove must have been an angel for Neil to be even a halfway decent person let alone anything more than a bitter workaholic. She gripped Neil’s hand firmly as if trying to brace him.

“Lily getting pregnant may not have been planned,” Neil paused, breathing deeply. “But we couldn’t be more excited for our baby. If… If it’s a boy we’re gonna name him William after you, Dad.”

They had talked about names off and on, throwing suggestions out, but one that had stuck was the name William for a boy. Lily had nothing against it but hearing that Neil wanted to possibly name their baby after this horrible man took her aback. Logically, she understood but the the other side of her, the side already mothering this baby, wanted nothing more than to shield her little one away from William Hargrove.

The old man just grunted gruffly, not bothering to look at Neil or Lily, eyes softly focused on the tv set across the room. It was an uncomfortable, sagnate silence that covered the room as the minutes passed until Mr. Hargrove glanced away from the tv to give her a once over.

Lily had worn a modest summer dress with a soft daisy print, her long hair in loose golden curls, face softly done with a conservative amount of makeup. None of it was unusual on her but she had specifically made an effort seem perfect for meeting neil’s father.

But the old man just sneard a little before speaking, not to Lily, but to Neil as if she wasn’t sitting there.

“Doesn’t seem that far along, could end all this shit right now,” he said waving his hand as if to explain. A cold feeling crept down Lily’s body at the thought of anyone harming her baby.

“Okay, well all of ‘_this shit’_ is going to go sit in the truck until you two are done.” Lily bit back, standing smoothly and hooking her purse over her shoulder.

As she walked from the house she could hear Neil’s father berating his son about how she was a ‘_crackhead hippie who thinks she’s the greatest shit since dirt_.’ She’d heard it all before.

The door shut loudly as she settled herself in the passenger seat of the truck, realizing suddenly that her hands shook lightly. A tiny choked out sob escaped her mouth, her hands quickly coming to rest over her barely rounded tummy.

It didn’t matter what anyone said, this was her baby. A baby she had dreamed of since a little girl. A million dreams were held in her body and it was up to her to make sure this baby would become a person. Her tiny person.

Lily looked up from her stomach when the screen door snapped closed, Neil climbing in the truck soon after.

“I’m s-” he started only to be cut off.

“It’s okay, I understand,” Lily said taking his hand again. She could see the emotions rise in his eyes. Neil leaned across and kissed her lips softly. One of his large hands resting over her belly. “And it doesn’t matter because our baby is going to be so, so loved.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for reading and checking out the board, leave a comment about anything! Still looking for sibling bonding moments if anyone has ideas!!


	11. Weeping Woman

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mike, Dustin, Lucas, El, and Will break into the Hargrove house. Will is a little more than passionate about Billy's circumstances.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> #NoBetaWeDieLikeMen
> 
> so this chapter is a little longer and it's all one scene! I actually really like this chapter but I did write it basically all on one go so I definitely made some mistakes and there may be some tiny continuity errors but i don't have full, written out plan for this fic so i'm really going chapter by chapter.
> 
> Thx to my partner for helping me with one of Dustin's lines, see if you can guess which one!
> 
> also, I really am trying to get back into a regular posting schedule cause i really like this story and where it's going, but i don't always have the time. This semester I have two personally challenging classes so I writing this between 'wtf am i doing???' moments! I'm sure anyone at college or uni can understand!

Lucas quietly pushed the window to Max’s bedroom up. Silently, five members of the party crept into the hargrove house. It was still except for the muffled sounds of a tv in another room. El opened the bedroom door as the group braced themselves for the squeak of the hinges. El stopped the door half open and motioned for the boys to follow her into the hall.

The sound of the tv was louder now, the group creeping closer to the living room when El held up he hand to stop them. She turned the handle to another room slowly, a tiny bit of light pouring out of the slit.

They crept into the room, closing the door softly behind them. The room was fairly bare, no bed frame, one small dresser, and a tall mirror with a few milk crates in front of it. Clothes were neatly hung in a tiny closet to the side and a few were in a laundry basket to be washed. A pack of cigarettes sat next to an almost empty bottle of cologne on the milk crates.

Will gently opened the top drawer of the dresser. It had a few pairs of pants, paired up socks, and a plastic cup with a few pairs of earrings in it. A small notch in the bottom of the drawer caught Will’s eye. He caught it with his nail, pulling up a tiny bit. There was something orange under the apparently false bottom of the drawer. Will got a better grip on the wood and leveraged it up a bit more to see what was underneath.

“Guys, this is a prescription bottle,” Will said quietly, eyes glued to the drawer. Lucas and Dustin looked up from where they’d been sorting through a box, Mike glancing over from his place by the window. Will dug the bottle out of the false bottom and held it up for the rest to see.

“The hell is that? Viagra?” Dustin remarked swiping it from Will’s hand, shaking the bottle a tiny bit. The capsules rattled inside the orange bottle. “‘Adderall 25mg take twice daily by mouth, perscribed by doctor Wiggins, prescribed for Carter W. Hargrove.’ So he used a fake name?”

Lucas came over to read the bottle over Dustin’s shoulder, “What’s it even for?” he asked, narrowing his eyes to read the small print.

“My mom took it after my dad died, but only for like a year.” Dustin said, “never told me why, I just saw it in the medicine cabinet.”

“It’s for anxiety,” Will said softly, gently taking the bottle back from Dustin and holding it reverently. “I take twenty milligrams in the morning, Dr. Owens said it would help after the whole, possessed thing happened.”

Mike’s eyes focused intently on Will, gripping El’s hand tightly.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” he asked softly, his eyes just the tiniest bit wet.

“I jus-” Will was cut off by the sound of footsteps coming down the hall, hesitating outside Billy’s door.

The party froze in place, panic coming across everyone’s faces. No one moved, not the person outside the door, not the party inside the room. A fierce look settled on El’s face as if trying to muster up her missing powers.

Will locked eyes with Mike, both wide with panic. Billy would have killed Steve a year before if Max hadn’t thought to sedate him, and if his father was half the powerhouse Billy was they’d be screwed.

Max wasn’t even there to be an excuse or pad the situation. Sure, there was five of them, but none knew what they were doing let alone how to do it.

The door handle shifted a bit as it was grasped, slowly turning to unlatch when a man’s voice called from across the house. The knob stilled at the sound, slowly turning back into place silently, footsteps making their way away from Billy’s door.

“Fuck, we gotta go guys,” Dustin hissed, shoulders falling as he breathed deeply.

“Not till we check for any more hidden cubbies,” Will whispered, already turning back to the dresser.

“Are you crazy? Dude, we’ve got to go,” Lucas whispered back, grabbing Will’s arm, “if whoever that was comes back we’re dead!” Will shook Lucas’ hand off his arm, his face turning sour.

“Not. Until. We. Check. For. More. Cubbies.” Will bit back. He opened the next drawer, running his hand along the edge of the bottom. This one didn’t have a false bottom.

“Will-” Mike started.

“No!” Will turned and hissed back, cutting Mike off. “I am the only fucking one here who’s lived even halfway like this. Do you know how many spots my mom hid shit? Dozens! Fucking dozens for anything she needed to keep hidden from my asshole dad who took and took and took until there was nothing left! So we don’t leave until we have checked this whole fucking room for anything. And you can all fucking stop pretending you guys understand or that you’re doing this for Billy cause you’re only doing this for Max.”

Will stalked over to the tiny closet, reaching feel above the door on the inside. He pulled down wad of something covered in brown paper, shoving it in his pocket, the bottle shoved next to it. He ran his hand up the back of the mirror, tipped back the old speakers to look under them. The left one had a loose bottom panel that Will pulled out with his nail.

Inside a VHS tape was carefully stuffed between the electronics. Will gently pulled it out and handed to Dustin to hold as he put the bottom back as best he could. There was a milky looking candle in a floral glass next to the the speakers, an ashtray beside it. Will quickly flipped the candle over, reading the bottom. The glass had “Lily & Billy” inked in curvy text, though clearly signed by two different people. Will realized it must have been a something Billy and his mother made, in fact, it looked like it had never been lit. He passed the candle to Mike to hold. Ignoring Mike’s confused look, Will looked instead for pulled up carpet at the baseboards.

“Will!” Mike hissed “Will!” but Will ignored him still looking for anything under the carpet.

Behind him, Will heard the door squeak the tiniest bit as it opened. Will snapped around and locked eyes with Max’s mom. Her eyes darted around the party. She let out a shaky breath, casting her gaze down the hall quickly.

“Look in the box spring,” she murmured, her voice wobbling and wet. Wringing her hands together she swallowed, sucking in a breath and nodding her head once before turning to leave. “i’ll wait for you at the back door.” she said to no one in particular, as if trying to disturb the world around her as little as possible, folding in on herself at the words.

With that she gently shut the door. Will realized it had been her footsteps before, that she had been about to go into Billy’s room before Billy’s dad called for her.

Will snapped out of his head, dashing to the bed, lifting the end of the mattress. He saw a tiny tear in the box spring material.

“Someone hold up the mattress,” Will hissed. He needed to reach whatever was in there. No one moved, barely even breathing. “Someone fucking hold the mattress!” he hissed louder. Lucas darted to the bed, taking the weight as Will bent down and reached into the rip.

He felt two pieces of paper. He grasped them, wiggling them out of the small rip. One was a photo of Billy and his mom, Billy seemingly only two or three years old at the time. The other was an envelope addressed to Hawkin’s High School from a Dr. Wiggins in california.

Will stood letting Lucas put the mattress back in place. Inside the envelope was a prescription renewal for the adderall in the hidden drawer. Will’s eyes were glued to the paper. Billy had a whole life kept quietly hidden. Every piece of who is is carefully hidden through this delicate dance of hiding and faking and covering everything up until there’s nothing left but this awful facade of attitude and confidence. And it’s all fake.

A tiny part of Will felt bad for shattering this allusion. This living thing that Billy had poured so much into to feel better, but he also knew that shattering this was like throwing a rock at a mirror. He’s been there. Jonathan and mom had been there. And secretly they had all desperately wanted someone to know. Someone to wash away all the fake shit. Someone to really _see _them.

Lucas gently touched his shoulder, snapping him out of his reprieve. He glanced up at his friends and nodded. He wasn’t sure what for, but it felt like they all understood. Shoving the paper back into its envelope, Will spoke.

“We can go now,”

El pressed her ear against the door to listen. She pulled back and nodded, slowly turning the handle and pulling the door open as quietly as she could. Her eyes looked up and down the hall before motioning for them to follow.

They made their was down the hall, away from the sounds of the tv, passing Max’s bedroom. El led them into the last door of the hall. there were stairs leading to the basement and a door to outside, but more importantly Max’s mom stood next to the door with a basket of damp laundry.

She opened the door and tipped her head to signal them to move. The five of them scurried out onto the back steps.

“What’s that sound?” a male voice called from inside the house making them all tense.

“I’m just taking the laundry out to the line, honey.” Max’s mom call back timidly with a tad of sweetness. She stepped out side with them, dropping the basket on an old lawn chair beside the house.

Outside, the heat felt suffocating as Max’s mother tried to speak.

“I just, I…” she tried. Her eyes were damp. “Just, here” she said, pressing something warm from being held, into Will’s hand. She looked regretful strangely enough.

Mike grabbed Will’s wrist and pulled him towards the woods behind the hargrove house so they would be seen leaving. They all shared silent looks, not daring to break the silence between them just yet. Everything that had happened in the last week had piled up on them all, seemingly on the brink of collapse, and this was more confusing that all of that.

As they troped through the woods back to Cherry Lane, Will looked at what she had pressed into his hand. It was a silver cross, probably for a child, and a small pendant that looked like a statue woman crying painted on it. A weeping woman with a look of loss deep in her tiny eyes. As if if mourning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> am i aware that Will seems a little out of character? yeah, but he's been quietly advocating for billy and i wanted to really show that in a more pressured environment. he empithises with billy and what billy has gone through and he recognizes his own family's struggles in billy and has a deep desire to "pull back the curtains" so to speak.
> 
> If you have anything you wanna let me know, any tags I should add, anything you want to show up in future chapters, or just wanna say 'hi' please leave a comment down below, you have no idea how much it means to me!
> 
> *let me know if you want the link to my tumblr!*


	12. Strawberry Ice Pops

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New Years means a party on the beach.
> 
> ~
> 
> Billy and Aver at meet a rival at a saturday swim meet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two Warnings About This Chapter: someone uses the f** word, that same person is creepy to Max, and Billy and Aver seem to have experience with this problem.
> 
> Also, if ur like "who d'fuck is Aver?? did i miss smth??" no, you haven't missed anything i just wanted billy to have a friend :D
> 
> If you don't want to read the paragraphs with the homophobic language and creep behaviour it will be italicised for you to skip with a summary in the closing notes.

Hospitals smelled like bleach and stale laundry and yet never felt clean. Max’s mind wandered as she sat curled into a plastic chair, the arms of which were digging into the ribs. Momma has fallen asleep with her head resting on the rail of Billy’s bed. His army surplus box sat at the end of his hospital bed, the green looking even more washed out in the hard light. Lily hadn’t opened it yet, seemingly hesitant.

Max knew that party must she was crazy. Billy had been awful to them after all, but she couldn’t let go of the version of him she had grown so close to back in california. The blinking lights on the machines around Billy reminded her of the new years the went to the beach. There had been a huge crowd of people there to watch the fireworks go off over the water but it didn’t matter.

Billy had given her some cheap sparklers for christmas and so they lit a few in one of the bonfires littering the beach. He took her hand and they ran down by the water where less people stood. The pops and cracks of the fireworks exploding above the water resounded in her ears as Billy and her ran, hand in hand, swinging the sparklers to and fro to make bright streaks of light in the semi darkness of the nights. They screamed and laughed and some other kids around Max’s age joined them, water kicking up as they ran through the shallow surf. Somewhere and older man yelled for them to keep it down but Billy just grabbed Max around the waist, spinning her into the air.

Her heart was bursting and bursting and bursting with something she couldn’t name but it made her feel warm in her finger tips every times she remembers it.

But now, with Billy laying out on a hospital bed, the memory was soaked in longing.Max slowly leaned further into the chair, eyelids drooping as her breath evened out into sleep.

~

The air was sticky around them, the crowd already sweating in the bleachers. Max’s thighs were burning against hot bleacher, shading her eyes against the reflection off the pool below. She could see Billy’s bright orange swim cap against the row of blue ones. A whistle blew sharply and the swimmers scrambled to get up and crouch on their blocks.

A dozen highschool boys were ready, crouched down, swaying to and fro , ears on edge for the starting whistle. Even from her spot high up on the bleachers Max could see the hard look settle on his face, jaw getting tight as he waited to take off.

The whistle’s shrill sound echoed out and the swimmers were off in the blink of an eye. From the start, a few fell behind. They must not have put the same amount of time into doing laps as some of the other boy, Billy included. Although, it would be hard to match Billy and his friend Aver’s number of laps.

They were water junkies. If Billy wasn’t at the beach with Max he wanted to be in a pool. They had met because Aver had almost knocked Billy out one day while surfing. Billy had been diving under the water with his dive mask but came up just as Aver was riding a wave. When the board smacked into Billy’s head Aver had turned back as fast as he could and hauled him onto the board to bring him back to land.

Ever since then Aver had stuck around. At the moment, the two of them were pulling ahead of the pack, just behind a boy Max didn’t know. He looked tall, taller than Aver which was saying something because Aver had just hit 6’1 and seemed to still be growing.

Max kept her eyes looked on Billy throughout the five lap race. Some of the swimmer were getting tired, lagging behind a little and Max could tell Billy wanted to. The last lap always got him.

The tall new guy finished first, hauling himself out of the water as soon as he hit the wall like some kind of show off. Aver was next will Billy pulling up as third. Billy was gonna be sullen about it for a few days at least, he always was when he barely made it before the next guy.

Max sprung up from her spot of the bleachers and ran down the steps to get to Billy’s side. Her favorite part of his swim meets was getting to embarrass him in front of all the guys he thought were so cool.

The tall guy took his cap off to let out short cropped blonde hair. He looked far too full of himself. Aver and Billy sat hip to hip on the edge of the pool, breathing deeply, laughing at some stupid joke. Max charged at them, wrapping her arms around both their shoulders. She stuck her head between theirs.

“Well, boys, I think we have another hit swim meet!” she teased with a fake motherly tone. Aver booped her on the nose as Billy leaned back on her a little. Max saw a shadow move to her left.

A foot came and shoved Aver into the pool. Max could hear the it hitting Aver’s flesh. Aver came up from the water sputtering. Billy whipped around, throwing an arm in front of Max, steadying himself in case the guy tried it on him.

“Y’know, I was worried I was too dry,” Aver said dripping with sarcasm and water. He hauled himself out of the pool to face the guy who pushed him in. It was the super tall blonde guy who had come in first.

_“I just wanted to see if you fags could even be seperated,” tall guy said with some weird east coast accent. He smiled cruelly at Aver and Billy. “who’s the strawberry chicky?” he said eyes raking over Max’s body crouched behind Billy. Billy pulled her closer to his back._

_“Yeah, fuck you too. She’s a kid, asshole.” Aver bit back._

Billy stood suddenly, bring Max up with him. The two boys led Max away from the blonde guy. They didn’t stop once until they got to the bike rack. Billy and Aver threw on loose tank tops and board shorts over their speedos, glancing back to make sure the guy didn’t follow them.

Hours later they were at Aver’s apartment eating ice pops, Aver’s mom watching the evening news in the other room. Max looked between them as they finished up homework.

“I know that guy was weird, but you guys were super paranoid about it.” Max said.

“Yeah?” Billy asked, worrying his lip softly.

“But, why? Like I kinda get it but you guys are like super up on anyone who even looks at me wrong.” Max pushed.

“Because he shouldn’t have looked at you like that, Max. You can’t trust creepy people.” Aver said with finality. “And you shouldn’t have to deal with that shit at your age.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Blonde Jerk says that he wanted to see if Aver and Billy could be separated because he thinks they stick together like a couple. Blonde Jerk than makes a comment about how Max is cute so Aver and Billy defend her without altercation.
> 
> So! I have so many ideas for this story and really, Im serious, if you wanna see smth in this story leave a comment! I can always use inporation! also, the pinterest board has some serious aesthetic and I'm gonna start posting collages to my tumblr if you birdies are interested!
> 
> https://www.pinterest.com/rizgriz/california-billy-inspo/


	13. St. Billy's Guardian Angel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Party brings their findings to Max and Lily at the hospital.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Now that i'm rlly getting into this i like, rlly getting into this!  
2\. i promise, billy will be awake soon!!  
3\. thank you so much to everyone who has commented! I'm not responding to then rn cause i don't wanna throw off the comments counter but know that I love each and every one of you.  
also, not beta read #NoBetaWeDieLikeMen!

Max woke up from the feeling of people watching her. She opened her eyes slowly to see the party crowded into Billy’s hospital, mostly likely to the annoyance of the ward nurses. Sitting up and stretching out her sore back, Max looked around at her friends. None of them were really looking at her, mostly looking around her, save for Will. Lily sat next to Billy, a hand resting on his bicep, (the only place on his arm not bandaged) nervously bouncing her leg at an alarming rate.

“What’s going on?” Max asked quietly, looking directly at Will.

“We broke into your house and found some stuff in Billy’s room that we wanted to talk to you and his mom about.” Will said, voice steady as the rest of the party cast their eyes downwards to the floor they sat on.

Will drug his backpack around from behind him and unzipped it. Him and El silently took out a VHS tape, a picture, an envelope, a candle, something wrapped in brown paper, a pill bottle, and two small necklace pendants one of which a cross.

Max slid off her chair to sit on the floor with her friends, tentatively reaching a hand forward to touch the VHS tape. The white strip on the side had Billy’s soft handwriting proclaiming ‘summer ‘84’ in the orange glitter pen a girl had lent to Max that she’d forgotten to give back.

Tears welled in her eyes remembering that last summer in california. They hadn’t known what they were about to lose.

“He kept this?” she asked in a tiny, shaky voice. It didn’t sound like her, but she didn’t feel like herself either. Lily got up from her place next to Billy, padding across the room in her socks to sit next Max.

“I mailed it to the school for him.” Lily said quietly. “That’s how I’ve been talking to him since we could only call every once and awhile. I already had his prescription sent to him there so i just started sending letters.”

Lily’s voice was thick with emotion. Max reached out and grabbed her hand, the two of them just gripping tightly.

“I didn’t know he was on meds,” Max said shaking her head in confusion.

“Billy’s never liked talking about it, baby. No one get prescribed something because a good thing happened.” she sounded strangely wistful. “And it all happened before you met him.”

Max nodded even though she really didn’t understand. She picked up the bottle to read it. Adderall. And seemingly a fairly significant dose. She returned the bottle to the floor and looked at the photo. Billy was so little and Lily seemed to have so much less stress settled on her face.

Next to her, Lily reached forwards and picked up the candle. It was a pale white color and it had made Max think Billy had a glass of milk spoiling in his room. Lily carefully smoothed her thumbs over the glass it sat in.

“He made this in sunday school when he was six. He was so nervous about going that I came with that first sunday. And the class was making candles, because that’s what catholics do,” Lily laughed softly. “and the teacher said that it was white because white was pure so Billy insisted we couldn’t burn it. I thought it was so silly until Neil took him away. After that I kept that candle next to be bed and I never came near it with my lighter.”

Lily rubbed her face, trying to hide the wetness gathering in her eyes.

“Once had a dream where I lit it by accident. Woke up sobbing as if he were dead. Then later that day? I got that call, and everything just fucking crumbled. I actually brought it to the hospital with me that day.” she trailed off shaking her head. “I don’t know how he got it past Neil.”

“What’s special about the charms?” Will nearly whispered. Lily glanced as the pile, hands reverently taking the pendants off the floor. She held them in her gently shaking hands, swiping her thumb lovingly over the face of the weeping woman.

“I gave him these before you ever met him, it been that long.” she said. Max bit her lip, eyes raptly focused on Lily. “I was given these pendants by my mother when I married Neil. She said ‘Mother Mary would weep holy water for you’ and I thought she was crazy, but I guess not…” Lily trailed off, the tiniest of grim smiles coming to her face. “I gave these to Billy the last day of family court. When they decided Neil would be the primary guardian it crushed Billy. And so I took off my necklace and gave it to him.”

Lily’s eyes seemed lost as she gazed at the tiny painted woman. She cleared her throat a little and wiped her nose, collecting herself.

“Some other things happened after that and Billy ended up in the hospital.” Lily cleared her throat again, choked up with emotion. “And that’s when I‌ gave him his St. Christopher medal.”

“What for?” Dustin asked. “Like, what does it do?”

Lily smiled softly. Looking down at the charms in her palm she sighed, and Max could see that although she smiled wider tears gathered in her eyes nearly spilling over.

“St. Christopher is the patron saint of travelers, all those who are lost and weary. And Billy was lost. Is lost. So, so lost.” she sounded wistful as tears fell down her face, falling onto her lap. She pulled a silver necklace out of her shirt and over her head. “These medals usually have children on them, being guided by St. Christopher. He was there in that hospital bed and he was so young and yet,” Lily’s voice broke ever so slightly. “So lost and I didn’t know how to make it better, but I’m his mom. I should have made it better but I didn’t. I thought that I did but he’s still so lost!” Lily broke down into quiet tears and aborted sobs hitching in her chest.

A hand came up to cover her mouth as she curled into herself like a child would, drawing her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. Her other hand still clutched Billy’s pendants and medal like a lifeline.

Max surged forwards to wrap her arms around Lily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! leave a comment about anything!


	14. Crying to the Beatles Makes a Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max, Billy, and Aver go shopping. Max and Aver play around but Billy just wants to get this bread shm.
> 
> ~
> 
> Max watches the VHS tape with the party and gets some tear-jerking news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1st: my 'M' key doesn't work that well so if smth doesn't look right, just ask urself if and 'M' would make sense in the word, so, yeah.
> 
> 2nd: i'm not entirely satisfied with this chapter but i'm not sure what i could do to make it feel better, so, yeah.
> 
> 3rd: the link to both my tumblr and the pinterest board for this fic (which i highly recamend you check out, you might catch little easter eggs before the chapter comes out) will be at the end of the chapter just not in the bottom notes cause idk how to make links in the AN, so, yeah.
> 
> Enjoy!!

Max skipped behind Billy and Aver as they made their way through each aisle of the store. They each had a hand basket laiden with cans of beans and tomatoes and green beans. Today was the big shopping day of the week. Normally Max and Billy would stop in to get milk and bread as needed but once a week they stocked up on canned goods and frozen things.

Billy stopped in front of the spaghettios, grabbing five cans, one for each day after school, and a few cans of raviolis. Aver softly started singing a rhyme he’d made up:

“_Spaghettio man, he got the spaghettio can_,” Billy smacked his arm, shooting him a dirty look.

“sure, im crazy cause i eat spaghettios after school but let’s not forget that _you_ steal like half my bowl everyday you come over, so.” Billy bit back playfully.

Grabbing a loaf of wonder bread, Max giggled a little at their antics. Aver turned around on Max, grabbing her in a hug.

“looks like Squirt’s got something to say!” Aver said with a laugh, swinging her around as much as he could in the aisle. A store attendant shot a dirty look at their behaviour so Billy grabbed a bag of frozen spinach on his way to the register.

Billy gave her an apologetic smile as he paid but the woman did not return the sentiment. Aver didn’t bother with niceties, just paying for what he had in his basket.

Max led the way out, the bell above the door chiming cheerily, as the three of them dissolved into giggles. Billy grabbed her around the waist with one arm, lifting her up like Aver had done inside, keeping a tight grip on the grocery bag with the other. She giggled like a child

“S_paghettio man, he got the spaghettio can! Spaghettio man, he got the spaghettio can!_” Max sang merrily as Billy half-heartedly scolded her for being so loud.

Aver and Max kept on singing as they walked down the street, earning them odd glares the whole way.

~

The whole party, including new additions were in the wheeler’s basement gathered around the tv. Dustin reached forwards and popped the tape into the VHS machine. The sound of the tape’s decks spinning was loud in the quiet room.

Max sat on the floor between Lucas and El. Mike was next to El, Dustin next to Lucas, Steve and Robin sandwiching Erica between them on the couch, Will Jonathan and Nancy sitting to one side of them.

The screen lit up with a video of a beach, the date printed in the bottom corner 6-12_-_83\. Lily had borrowed the camera from a neighbor of hers a few times over the summer and they had one full tape to show for it.

_Lily was holding the camera as Max and Billy ran up from the surf with a bucket full of tiny crabs. They proudly showed the camera their findings, one of the crabs latching onto Billy’s finger as he held it above the bucket, grinning despite the pinch._

_Their hair was wild from salt and wind and sun. Billy wore a shell necklace with a single shark tooth in the front, suntan dark and eyes wild with energy. Max stood next to Billy in a pair of swim short and a bikini top, poking the crabs with a strand of palm leaf. They were laughing and the sound of the ocean crashing behind them made the Wheeler’s basement light up with the seaside_.

_There were more clips, all painting the picture of happiness. Ones with Aver giving Max a piggy back ride, Billy doing the same with Lily. Scenes of the perfect sunset, Lily leaving little pink lipstick marks all over Billy’s cheeks as she attacks him with kisses. Of Billy and Aver baking muffins on the hottest day of summer. _

A longer clip came on that sparked such a feeling in Max. _Aver and Billy were dancing with each other to some beatles song, swinging around the room like they knew what they were doing. Singing off beat, dragging Max with them as Lily held the camera. A dark bruise was blooming across the side of Billy’s face. His skin spit ever so slightly over his cheekbone. _

_Billy and Aver were laughing, but something turned sour in Billy’s throat. His laughing became something from deep inside his chest and tears started rolling down his cheeks._

_He leaned into Aver and Lily suddenly put the camcorder down on the counter, rushing over to him. Billy let out choked out sobs. Inconsolable. The beatles playing too loud in the background, gripping tightly to his friend. A few laughs made there way through his tears. In the video, Max ran over to turn off the camera, just barely recording Billy’s words:_

_“I just keep letting him hurt me,” Billy said in a strangled voice, collapsing to the ground, hand over his mouth, Aver and Lily on either side._

Steve leaned forwards, putting a hand on her shoulder. Max was confused for a second before she realised she had started crying.

Max clutched at steve’s hand. Letting the tears she had be so desperate to hold back flow, Max could feel this pressure in her chest. It was the same feeling she had when they’d been certain Billy would die. It was like she was watching a part of herself being poured out of her eyes. Back in california, Billy would have been the one who fixed this, who made it all better, who wiped away her tears. But now he’s the reason. _Because his stupid, stupid ass had to go and get hurt and if he doesn’t get better nothing will be okay ever again._

The breath hitched in her chest, she’d said that out loud. Her hands shook and her mind felt like silly string and nothing was going to be okay.

Steve shifted forwards through the members of the party that had gathered tightly around her. Scooping her into his lap as much as he could, steve held her tightly against his chest, her face buried in his neck just trying to breathe.

He gently rocked her back and forth as much as he could, pinned between the arm of the couch and erica. He just gripped her tightly, not wavering. He started softly talking to her.

“he talked about california once, at a party.” steve hesitated. “He was pretty messed up and tired and we were sitting on someone’s back porch. He just started talking about how much he missed his mom, and a friend of his, and you. I didn’t really get it, i still don’t, but…” steve trailed off, “i understand what it’s like to miss a feeling.”

Max nodded softly into steve’s shoulder, just breathing through the jumble in her throat.

The phone rang making the whole group tense up. Mike shot up to answer.

“hello-what? He’s wha-awake?” Mike turned away from the phone, “Max, he’s awake!”

despite all the feelings crashing through her body, Max couldn’t help but notice Mike actually seemed a little happy about it.

[tumblr ](https://thundercuntvirgin.tumblr.com/)

[pinterest](https://www.pinterest.com/rizgriz/california-billy-inspo/)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please leave a comment if you like this, i love you guys interact with the story and me, i think it's so cool! 
> 
> i'm gonna start posting this on tumblr with pictures from the pinterest so if you wanna yell at me over there feel free!


	15. Do As You Please, Babydoll

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Billy wakes up, a feud lights up between Neil and Lily as Max and her mom watch on.  
~  
It had been a normal day, until Cooper, the east coast scumball, barges in and attacks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning! There is graphic violence and homophobia in this chapter, as well Neil being a royal asshole. Stay Safe!
> 
> This one took me a while, but i feel good about it. this is my first time writing a physical altercation so if anyone has any advice or smth, let me know!

Max and her mother sat in the hallway until the doctors let them into Billy’s room. Max was sure Lily had glued herself to Billy’s side. Her heart fluttered in her chest as her stomach rolled in her belly. This is what she had been waiting nearly a week for, but everything felt so uncertain. What if he wanted to stay Indiana Billy, what if he hated her for telling all of her friend about Neil, what if the Mind Flayer really fucked him up?

Too many questions rolled over and over in her mind, her breath speeding up slightly. Suddenly Max felt her mother grasp her hand, holding it in a tight grip. Max squeezed back until her breath steadied. Neil stormed down the hall making Max want to shrink into her chair. Mom gripped her hair harder than before, both of their fingertips going white with pressure.

Neil pushed harshly passed a nurse coming out of Billy’s room. Immediately harsh voices erupted from the room as Neil berated Lily. A moment later Lily was dragging Neil from Billy’s room, face rouged with anger, digging her nails into Neils arm.

“What the fuck, Neil!” Lily hissed. “Why the fuck would you start screaming in his room? You don’t even have a goddamn idea what’s going on here!”

Neil shook her hand off his arm.

“He is my goddamn son and I will to what I please, _Lillian_.” he hissed out making her mom tense up next to Max.

“No, no you will not ‘_do as you please,_’ Neil.” Lily’s voice was firm through the emotions passing over her face. “He is beyond hurt right now, and I’m not gonna let your bullshit poison him anymore.”

Neil surged forwards, grabbing Lily’s wrist in a crushing grip and drawing her close, just as the elevator dinged. Everyone Max could imagine poured out of the elevator: Will, Mike, El, Lucas, Dustin, Erica, Steve, Robin, Nancy, Jonathan, Mrs. Byers, Hopper, and even some guy with an untamed beard that Max had never met.

Neil’s eyes flashed towards the hoard of new people before releasing Lily’s wrist like it burned. But he was not deterred by the people watching them. Max could feel the eyes of her friend’s darting between the scene before them and Max sitting with her mother.

“You shouldn’t be here, Lillian. He doesn’t need you, not after you left him.” Neil said, forcing his voice to appear even.

“Left him? I didn’t fucking leave him! I got forty percent custody and you took him! You basically kidnapped him, Neil!” Lily yelled, voice rising above a hiss. “And now the doctor’s don’t know if he’ll ever be able to eat whole food again, let alone take the drug that’s saved his fucking life? And if you think you have the right to come in here and make decisions for him, then you are so fucking wrong!”

“What drug, Lillian?” Neil said slowly, eyes dark with menace, something sinister in the way his brow furrowed.

“Don’t play stupid, Neil, it’s not a good look on you.” Lily bit back. “I know you’ve seen his medical records. You requested them when he went in the hospital and you weren’t listed as his emergency contact.”

Max’s heart skipped a beat as she remembered the day, not long before they moved, that Billy and Aver got in a fight with Cooper, the blonde east coast self righteous asshole. Max hadn’t been there when it happened, but she remembered going to the pool after school let out to meet the boys only to see the aftermath. Billy had a bleeding gash on his head, blood spreading out through the grout. The swim teach and Aver crouched next to billy, frantically trying to stem the flow, Aver cradling a broken arm.

The P.E. Teacher had gone to the hospital with them where Lily had shown up only thirty minutes later. Max had assumed Neil was at work or just hadn’t bothered to show up, but she remembered how bitter Neil had been that evening when he found out. How cruel he had been to Billy. How that must have been how Neil found out where Lily lived. How one stupid thing made everything so much worse. How everything had crumbled around Billy because of some asshole who had it out for him.

Just as Max’s mind was spiraling out of control, her mom stood, still gripping her hand. Mom gently led her down the hallway to Billy’s door, opening it slowly. The lights inside the room was dimmed, curtains closed, the sound of the heart monitor beeping, and the sound of quiet gasping. Mom quickly ushered Max in and shut the door quietly.

~

Billy shoved Aver playful as they walked through the pool gate, already in speedos, towels slung over their shoulders. A group of other boys were already stretching by the edge of the pool.

“You’re definitely a Claire, no way you're an Andrew!” Billy said to Aver, laughing over his words. Aver shoved back, the two of them play fighting for a minute.

“Well you’re a Brian!” Aver shot back just before the P.E. Teacher, Mr. Claste chastised them for goofing off. They laughed between themselves for a second before a familiar east coast accent called Billy’s name from behind them.

Billy turn to face the other boy, cooper, but as he turned he felt his feet slip on the slick tiles as his chest was shoved back. He heard a loud, echoing crack before he felt anything. Realizing he had fallen to the floor, Billy tried to roll to the side to get his bearings only to be pinned to the floor by a heavy weight on his chest. A throbbing erupted through the back of his skull and through his daze, raised a hand to his head. He could feel something warm and sticky on his fingertips.

Hardly having time to process what was happening, a fist slammed down on his face. The fist landed a few more times making Billy’s brow bleed, the blood running into his left eye until half of his vision went dark and red. Billy distantly heard himself screaming something as he tried not to choke on his own tongue. Cooper screaming back with slurs about Aver and Billy. Billy’s eyes watered and tears spilled onto his face as some of Coopers spit landed on his face. Suddenly the weight was thrown off his chest, allowing him to breath, and he felt someone knee his side.

Distantly, Billy could hear fists hitting flesh and Mr. Claste screaming for the stop. Some of the other boys ran forwards and grabbed desperately to pull the fight apart. Through his clear eye Billy saw one of the biggest swimmers holder cooper back as he thrashed to attach again, clawing out to get to Aver. Mr. Claste crouched down next to Billy concern etched into his face.

He gently placed a hand on either side of Billy’s head, turning it slightly. Billy cried out as pain shot through his whole head and the slight movement. Mr. Claste frozen immediately, turning to one of the other swimmers.

“Micheal, call an ambulance!” he called, the boy taking off for the pool office instantly.

Billy could feel his eyes wander against his will, rolling back in their sockets. He was acutely aware of how labored his breath was, chest heaving with effort. Feeling incredibly tired, Billy the world spinning and tilting around him.

Time passed strangely as an abmulance took him and Aver to the hospital, Max somehow having joined them. Different people flashed a light in his eyes, fingers pressing into the back of his skull and neck. Billy seemingly blinked and his mother was next to him.

He tried saying something to her but it came out garbled, mouth feeling dry and tacky, his mom shushing him softly, saying something about pain meds.

But it felt nice, momma holding his hand, gently pushing his hair from his face, whispering soft reassurances and calling him her ‘Babydoll.’ It reminded him of the time a few year prior when he was in the hospital. His mind had been clouded with so many emotions and sedatives but her gentle voice broke through the fog, leaving him warm and sleepy inside. It had been a nice change to the soul deep lethargic type of tired that had plagued him for months.

Vaguely, Billy heard Aver come back, holding his other hand tightly and saying something about an arm cast. Max sat by his feet, eyes darting between Billy and momma. He felt bad that she was just a kid seeing all that she did. His dad, and the kids that picked on her at school, and creepers on the pier, and now Cooper beating Billy senseless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the pinterest board, you'll get sneak peaks at the story! see if you can find the pictures that inspired this chapter!  
https://www.pinterest.com/rizgriz/california-billy-inspo/
> 
> Thank you to everyone who is reading and commenting!!


	16. Is It Enough?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hopper splits up the confrontation between Lily and Neil.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm putting this up today cause it's my birthday! and i just rlly wanted to say that.

Hopper had let Billy’s parents fight long enough, but this was a hospital and they had no business screaming in the hallway. He may not be in uniform at the moment but that wasn’t about to stop him from arresting someone.

“I know you don’t like each other, but this is a hospital.” Jim started, stepping between the pair. “So if you could cut this crap out or take it outside, I’m sure _everybody_ would appreciate that.”

Neil’s face turned even more sour, twisting as he tried to save face in front of a law enforcement officer. Jim watched as Neil swallowed down his anger, straightening his shoulders and shooting a deadly glance at Lily.

“I need to go to work, but I will be back to check on him this evening.” Neil said, glaring past Hopper. Lily scoffed lightly, Neil shooting one last glare before he turned around, stalking off down the hall.

Hopper turned, Lily breathing deeply as she massaged her temples.

“Do you have any way to give me a reason to keep Neil away?” Jim asked quietly, turned away from the rest of the group. “Can I get a restraining order against him?”

Lily shook her head silently, hand covering her mouth as she steadied her breath.

“Don’t know if it’s enough,” she said quietly, rubbing her eyes in frustration.

“I can take a look at it, see what I can do.” Jim said, turning back to see that Max and her mother had left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's short but so is my attention span! Thx for reading!!! i'll be back in a week or so for my normal update!
> 
> https://www.pinterest.com/rizgriz/california-billy-inspo/


	17. Fight For Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Susan and Max slip into Billy's room as his parent's fight. What then?  
~  
Steve wished Nancy didn't look so lost, she's the one who normally knows what to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said I was gonna be back sooner, but i'm straight up not vibing rn so, yeah.
> 
> anyways, as always, no beta we die like men, and i'm going to start posting more writing stuff on my tumblr and I also have a side blog as billyhoegrove on tumblr entirely dedicated to stranger things and billy! also, the harringrove fandom is about to have it's first zine!! it's called "summerof85zine" on tumblr and you should totally check it out! 
> 
> also, i've made up my mind and this is going to be a slowburn harringrove fic! i wasn't sure but, yeah, so the tags have changed a little and i'm open to input!

Susan closed the door fast, barely remembering not to slam it. Maxine stood frozen just inside the door and Susan gripped her daughter’s shoulder quickly before turning. The thin curtain was drawn around the bed, and Susan suddenly felt unsure as she stared at the blue and green striped flimsy fabric.

The sound of a shakey, strained breath made Susan draw in her own sharp breath. Her mind seemed to connect back to her body, moving forwards to draw back the curtain enough to step through. Susan had not seen Billy while he was in the hospital, she wasn’t wanted or needed by anyone who mattered so she stayed tucked out of the way. But now she felt her heart tugging her closer to her stepson.

He looked so small, like a little boy, like the little boy he had been when they first met. His hands were bandaged, sheets drawn back from his torso but bandages tightly as well. His skin looked jaundiced, an air tube tucked under his nose.

What truly struck Susan was his eyes. His eyes were open wide, staring at Susan, blinking as if he was trying to will his tears away. But they sat there, fat and wet on his lashes framing his bloodshot eyes.

“Hi, Billy,” she said softly, taking a few silent steps forwards. “I’m sorry Neil got loud, he shouldn’t have done that.”

Billy just watched her with wide eyes, shoulders tight, face unchanging.

“I don’t know what’s going on or how this happened, I know there are things Max isn’t telling me, but I want you to know that I’ll do whatever’s best for you and your sister-_stepsister_-no matter what your father says.”

Billy’s face twisted in a way that made Susan’s heart crumble. His tears spilled over, and his shook his head the tiniest bit as his breathe stuttered. It clicked painfully in her mind–he didn’t trust her. Susan internally berated herself, of course he wouldn’t trust her, she had never done anything like this for him. Sure, she had helped hi clean up after one of Neil’s tirades, but never made any promises to change a thing. Chest tightening, squeezing her heart, Susan wrung her hands think of what she could say to prove it to him.

“No you won’t,” he whispered, Susan’s eyes snapped up from where she had been staring at the floor. More and more tears fell as he tried not to shake, sobbing silently to himself. Susan felt a tear wind down her own cheek. She came forward to gingerly sit on the edge of his bed, pressing their foreheads together. Her hands cradled his head, holding him gently as he cried, as she cried too. Desperate to make it real for him, she held him fiercely, cradling as much of him as she could. One of his bandaged hands came up to carefully wrap around her back.

Susan gently cooed as he tired himself out, running her fingers through his knotted hair. His hand slowly dropping lower and lower as he lost the energy to hold it. Two of his fingers pinched her shirt to keep his hand from falling any farther. The curtain was drawn to the side behind them, Susan could tell Max was watching them, but Susan just kept cooing to Billy, his shoulders shaking with emotion and effort.

“They’ve stopped fighting,” Max whispered. Susan nodded against Billy’s forehead.

“Billy,” Susan whispered softly, closing her eyes. “I will never let him hurt you again.”

His hand on her back grabbed her shirt harder, forehead pulling with emotion. She whispered an‘okay?’ pressing a soft kiss against his brow bone, fingers still carding through his dirty hair.

~

Seeing Neil Hargrove fighting with Billy’s mom made steve sad in a strange way. Like he wanted to wrap Max and Billy up in bubble wrap and hide them from their parents. Mr. Hargrove turned to storm down the hall, steve lunged forward grabbing lucas’ shoulder. The kid had a tendency to do brave, but dumb, things when it came to Max.

Lucas turned to scowl at steve but the hot glare Billy’s dad sent lucas’ way stopped the kid short. Steve pulled him back, gripping his shoulder firmly as the man stalked away. Hopper stood talking with Billy’s mom, but the silence held, only broken by dustin.

“Okay, what the fuck just happened? Am I the only one who saw that shit?” dustin said, turning to stare at each party member.

“Watch your mouth,” steve reprimanded distractedly. “Stay here for a second,” he said letting go of lucas, walking quietly down the hall to Billy’s room. He knocked quietly. Steve could feel all the kids eyes on him. It didn’t help that nancy and jonathan were looking just as out of their depth as the kids. Normally it would be nancy who knew what to do, she was smart like that, always knowing what to expect.

The door opened a tiny bit and steve could see Max’s red hair before she peeked her head around the edge.

“Are you and your mom okay?” steve asked.

“Yeah, but I think you should get a nurse, he’s in a lot of pain.” Max whispered, glancing back in the room. Steve could just barely see Mrs. Mayfield’s red hair and what he assumed was Billy’s heaving chest. Steve just nodded.

He distantly related that he felt like he was moving through syrup. He’d only ever felt this way during a really awful test or the last moments of an important basketball game. He heard the door click behind him as he swiftly walked down the hall to the nurse station they had passed on the way from the elevators.

Steve leaned over the tall counter, a nurse coming over when steve softly said “Miss,”

“Yes?” she asked.

“I think you should go check on Hargrove, he sister said he was in a lot of pain.”

The nurse nodded, turning to get a tray of something from under the counter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!!!  
Tumblr: thundercuntvirgin  
Side Blog: billyhoegrove  
Fic Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/rizgriz/california-billy-inspo/


	18. Sometimes It's Enough

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hopper discusses the evidence with Lily and finds out a new piece of information.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a bit since I posted a new chapter but I do have a harringrove fic up if you're interested! Also, the voice might be a bit off in this chapter but my mom and i have been watching a shit ton of british crime shows so now my inner voice has adopted an accent.
> 
> It's short, but It's something!

It was late in the evening, steam rising off the coffee mug Joyce had set infront of him. Joyce had gone to check in on will. Hopper sat quietly across the table as Billy’s mother sorted through a box of belongings. She pulled a few polaroids out. Even in the dim light of the kitchen Hopper could tell what the pictures were of.

“I’ve got a few pictures of bruises Neil gave him, but honestly, Neil likes having control and he doesn’t hit much. Mostly makes you paranoid, second guess everything you and say until nothing seems real.” Lily said as Hopper looked through each photo. All of them were clearly the mark left by a heavy hand, two or three of them looking like the work of a belt.

“The only problem is that we can’t prove Neil was the one how roughed him up. Anyone could say he’d gotten into a fight or ‘boys will be boys’ and end it there. We need more.” Hopper said. He wished it didn’t take so much evidence but if they went after Neil Hargrove too soon the bastard would weasel his way out.

“But his school record was clean up until a few months before they moved, he’s a good kid!” Lily said frantically.

“That’s not the kid this town has seen. They’ve only met a wild teen and no one wants to believe this wild kid is coming from a broken home” Hopper said, a little sadness in his voice.

“But why?” Hopper could see tears of frustration gathering in Lily’s eyes. “Why can’t they just _see_ it?”

“Because that would mean they knew a lot of broken people from broken homes, and I don’t think they wanna admit that they didn’t know it.” he said quietly. He felt Joyce’s soft gaze as he stared down at his cooling coffee. Glancing up she gave him a pinched smile.

“Damn you Carter for not letting me get you out,” Lily muttered to herself, rubbing the spot between her brows. “damn Max for being such a good kid.”

Hopper’s gaze shifted back to Lily.

“What did you say?” he asked. Lily glanced up, wiping her cheeks.

“I know I shouldn’t say that, and I love Max with all my heart but Billy and Max weren’t so close he would have let me go to the police years ago. Max would have been left to fend for herself in that house and Billy wouldn’t have that.” Lily sighed. She looked like this was a thought she’d rolled over in her mind a hundred times before.

“You said a name,” Hopper tried again, leaning forwards a little. “Carter? Who’s that?”

“Carter is Billy’s legal name,” Lily said looking confused.

“I got called for a disturbance at the school this last year, just a couple of boys roughing each other up, but Billy was part of it. Thing is, his school records said ‘William Hargrove’ so that means Neil registered him in school under a false name.” Lily’s eyes lit up.

“That’s why I couldn’t track him down in the school system, I could never find any of his new school records.” Lily leaned forwards, forehead dropping into her hands. “The only reason I knew where he was is cause he sent me a letter from the school address!” Hopper could hear Lily’s voice getting thick with emotion; Joyce came forwards resting a hand on her shoulder.

“I think I can get him for unlawfully enrolling a child, maybe see if I can get a kidnapping charge since you weren’t informed about where they were moving.” Hopper said quietly rubbing at his beard. Lily ran her nail along a groove in Joyce's table, wiping at her face.

“think it’s enough?” she asked.

“I think it’s our best chance.” Hopper said.

[Harringrove tumblr](https://billyhoegrove.tumblr.com/)

[Main tumblr](https://thundercuntvirgin.tumblr.com/)

[Fic Pinboard](https://www.pinterest.com/rizgriz/california-billy-inspo/)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you hate it, lemme know. if you love it, lemme know. if you don't care, lemme know.


	19. Unrecognizable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve sits with max and her mom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It goes Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior incase anyone is unsure.
> 
> We're about to ramp up the stakes and get this ball really rolling in our next chapter so make any suggestions now!

That sun was low in the sky, orange light seeping into the room through the shut blinds. Steve sat in the corner tucked into chair that stuck to his thighs. All the kids had been taken home by their parents almost as soon as Hargrove’s dad left. Robin had stuck around with him for awhile until Max crept out into the hallway. Max’s mom wanted to talk to him, so Robin headed home when Max took his hand to lead the way. She was clingier now that she’d ever been before but he remembers how much will orbits around jonathan. In fact, she never let go of his hand when they went into the room, just sitting in the chair next to him.

Mrs. Hargrove hadn’t actually talk to him at all. The three of them had just sat quietly as Hargrove’s chest slowly raised and lowered rhythmically. The steady sound of the monitors was strangely comforting. Distantly Steve knew that he’d become invested. Not that he hadn’t cared about someone dying, even if that someone had beaten his face in, but now it felt like he needed to know more. More about the Hargrove Max had known growing up. The video of Max, Billy, Billy’s mom, and some other boy had really thrown Steve off his rhythm. Vulnerable isn’t a word anyone in Hawkins would use to describe Hargrove, but watching them running around on the beach Billy was unrecognisable. He looked so young and bright eyed.

Steve cleared his throat quietly.

“Mrs. Hargrove, how old is Billy?” Steve asked softly. It felt strange to talk after the few hours of silence. Max’s mom glanced up at him from where she sat next to Hargrove.

“He’s seventeen,” she said, gently brushing hair from Billy’s face. “Why do ask?”

“I just realized I only ever shared two classes with him. I don’t know why but I’d figured he was my age.” Steve answered. He felt Max adjust her grip on his hand.

“Won’t be eighteen till december,” Max said softly. It was weird to think that Billy was two years younger than him. Sure, Steve’s April birthday had made him start school a little older that the other kids but two years was still weird.

“You graduated back in May, right?” Mrs. Hargrove asked. Steve nodded back. “Billy was a junior, doesn’t start senior year until september.”

Steve nodded again like he understood but his eyes were stuck on Hargrove’s form on the bed. Billy was legally a child, a dependant, legally defenseless. It had never dawned on Steve that Billy was someone’s kid. Like, logically he knew but seeing it with his own eyes was so different.

A soft knock on the door and a nurse came in.

“Visiting hours are ending,” she said gently. Max’s mom gave her a soft _thank you_, brushing her fingers through Billy’s bangs one last time. She swung her purse over her shoulder, riffling through to find something. Steve heard her breathe out a _fuck_ before guiltily glancing at Steve.

“I hate to ask this, but can you take us home. I didn’t realize Neil had the truck keys.” Steve was confused before he realized. Neil had left his wife and stepdaughter at the hospital with no way of getting home.

“Yeah, sure, it’s no big deal. I’ve got to go that way anyways.” he bluffed. The only people he knew down that way was the Byers and they didn’t exactly need more company, but Mrs. Hargrove didn’t need to know that.

“Thank you,” she breathed out, hand coming up to press between her brows. Steve stood, wincing at the sound the chair made as his thighs separated from the pleather, sticking to him like a diner booth. Max stood with him, still clasping his hand.

“I’ll take Max down, if you need to talk to the nurse or something.” Steve said. He suddenly felt incredibly awkward. Mrs. Hargrove just nodded, her eyes far away. Steve led Max from the room, the door clicking shut behind them.

Steve kinda figured Max would let go of his hand once they were in the hall but she just stayed so close by his side that her shoulder bumped into her arm as they walked. The elevator ride was silent, an elderly man who got on a few floors down just glanced at the two of them before discreetly looking away. Steve hadn’t really thought about it but Max and him made a odd pair. His face was still pretty fucked up from robin and his time underground, and Max had permanently rosie eyes from everything going on. Steve would have to remind her get some sleep when she got home.

Steve looped his arm around Max’s shoulder as they walked across the parking lot, their hands still clasped.

“It’s okay if you don’t want to visit him tomorrow, you know that right?” Steve asked. Max’s head whipped up to look at him.

“Why wouldn’t I want to see him?” she asked, voice a little venomous and eyes sharp. Steve held onto her shoulder firmly, he really didn’t want her bolting out of anger.

“You didn’t look okay in there, and that’s fine. One day won’t hurt anyone. If you just wanna hang out with the party it’s okay.” Steve said softly.

“I can’t,” Max whispered after a long stretch of silence. “I can’t let him be alone, Steve.” she sounded desperate and Steve could hear her quietly snuffing.

“He’s not gonna be alone,” Steve said but Max looked unconvinced so Steve thought fast. “I’ll come and sit with him tomorrow if it makes you feel better.” internally Steve winced. It was a big promise and he knew it’d be rough day since he couldn’t sleep more than two or three hours a night anymore. But the look of relief on Max’s face told him is was the right thing to say.

“Thank you,” Max said just as her mom came through the doors of the hospital.

“Yeah kiddo,” Steve said gently, unlocking the Beemer.

~

Steve had dropped Max off plenty of times but the little house on Cherry Lane had never seemed so sinister and imposing. Warm light spilled out from the front windows and Steve could see a thousand tiny gnats swarming around the dim porch light. Max’s mom said a quiet thank you as she climbed out of the car. As soon as the door shut Steve turned to Max in the backseat.

“Call or radio if you need _anything_, Max, and I mean anything.” Steve said, locking eyes with Max. She nodded quickly. “Okay, try and get some sleep?”

“Okay,” she said, opening the back door to slide out. “you should try and sleep too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, I hope everyone is doing well and staying busy, as I post this I am on day 47 of isolation w my family and I haven't been feeling that motivated but your comments make me want to give you guys more chapters so really, if you have a suggestion, tell me!


End file.
